


If I long for the world, just a bit, will you forgive me for it?

by nvrlostword



Series: Finding Zuko [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Agni Kai (Avatar), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Autistic Mai (Avatar), Autistic Zuko (Avatar), Canon-Typical Violence, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hakoda (Avatar) is a Good Parent, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Kya (Avatar) is a Good Parent, NOT THAT AGNI KAI, Penguin Sledding, Pre-Canon, Prequel, Protective Sokka (Avatar), Protective Zuko (Avatar), Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Ursa (Avatar) is a Good Parent, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zuko is baby, and azulon tbh, but they're kids so nothing icky or super romantic happens, dadkoda, everyone is baby, in this house we hate ozai, ozai (Avatar) is a terrible parent, snuggles, sokka gets a crush on zuko, sokka is baby, tui and la show up, zuko gets a crush on sokka
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:13:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 29,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25368919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nvrlostword/pseuds/nvrlostword
Summary: Azula told Zuko that their father was going to kill him. He wasn’t going to stick around to find out if she was lying or not.Or, an AU where Zuko runs away from home and finds himself in the south pole.
Relationships: Azula & Iroh (Avatar), Azula & Ursa (Avatar), Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Eventual Sokka/Zuko (Avatar) - Relationship, Hakoda & Zuko (Avatar), Hakoda/Kya (Avatar), Iroh & Ursa (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Katara & Kya (Avatar), Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Kya & Sokka (Avatar), Kya & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Ursa & Zuko (Avatar), Water Tribe & Zuko (Avatar), Zuko & The Southern Water Tribe
Series: Finding Zuko [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1907560
Comments: 1105
Kudos: 3610





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [the zukka nation](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=the+zukka+nation).



> A note about this AU:  
> Everything is the same as canonverse up until 92 AG, or when Zuko's nine years old. This is when Lu Ten dies, Ozai asks Azulon to be firelord, and Azulon tells Ozai to piss off (and also to kill Zuko).

Zuko’s heart pounded in his chest as he rocked back and forth on his bed, trying to calm himself. “Azula always lies, Azula always lies,” he chanted over and over again. Surely she was lying this time too. Surely Zuko’s own father wouldn’t kill him, and surely his grandfather didn’t order his death.

And yet… there was something different about Azula this time. Behind her careless, teasing demeanor, there was something like fear. She seemed concerned— well, as concerned as Azula could be, anyway. And _that_ made Zuko more scared than anything.

He stood and crept down the hallway, stopping to peek inside his mother’s room. Through the cracked door, he saw his sister sitting on his mother’s lap. They were talking in hushed voices, but the terror in his mother’s eyes told Zuko everything he needed to know. Zuko backed away slowly, blinking away tears.

_I have to get out of here._ Before the thought had fully formed, Zuko was already running back to his room, haphazardly throwing some of his things into a bag. Hands shaking, he grabbed his dao swords off the wall. He’d been outside of the palace a few times, so he knew he would need money— but how much? Hopefully however much was in his mother’s coin pouch would be enough. As he passed the table where she kept her purse, Zuko murmured an apology as he swiped it.

He went past the kitchen, hesitated, then grabbed a couple loaves of bread. Despite his young age, Zuko was strong and agile from both his firebending and sword training. So strong, in fact, that he could scale the palace wall and slide down to the other side. Zuko had also learned how to stay out of sight and sneak around not from any tutor, but from his own father. Some days his temper was so fierce that even the sight of Zuko could set him off, so Zuko had to learn how to avoid detection. 

Once he had gotten away from the wall, Zuko ducked into an alley to catch his breath. “Think, Zuko,” he muttered to himself, trying to settle his racing mind. Rarely did he ever think things through before he did them, but this— this was important. This was his _life_ at stake. Where was he going?

_Away,_ his mind helpfully provided. _Far away._ If he stayed in Caldera City, he would definitely be found by his father. In fact, he realized, anywhere in the Fire Nation would be a death zone for him. His grandfather’s word was law, and if he wanted Zuko killed…

At Zuko’s sudden spike of panic, flames flickered to life around him. He quickly put them out, praying to Agni that no one had seen. “Breathe,” Zuko murmured, “breathe. Okay… what would Azula do?” 

Azula would never be in this situation. If she somehow was, she could lie her way out of it easily.

Zuko tried again. “What would Uncle do?” Uncle Iroh had always encouraged Zuko to stop and think about a situation before rushing in. He had a major role in teaching Zuko firebending, and—

_Uncle._ Uncle, who had always cared for Zuko like a second son. Uncle, who had just lost his own son. Uncle, who was still in the Earth Kingdom, where it could take the messenger hawks weeks to reach him. Uncle, who would be _the future Firelord_ , who could change anything from his predecessor’s reign. 

Zuko’s jaw dropped and, before his mind could react, his feet were carrying him towards the harbor. It seemed much farther away than when he would take his palanquin there. By the time he reached the harbor, a mixture of sweat and tears dripped from his face. Through his tears, Zuko could see crates of supplies being loaded onto a ship. Zuko slipped inside one of them and curled up defensively, only daring to relax a bit when he heard the ship’s horn and felt the hum of the engine. As he laid on an uncomfortable bed of cannonballs, he finally began processing the events of the past hour. He shivered, but managed to keep his sobs quiet. That’s something he’d gotten good at.

~ ~ ~

“Lookie what I found!” The rough hand that had been pushing Zuko through the ship’s corridor finally shoved him down on the deck. Someone grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head up. “We’ve got ourselves a rat!”

It had been five days since they had set sail. Zuko had eaten through his loaves within the first two days and hunger gnawed at his stomach. He’d finally had the courage to sneak out and try to steal some food, but he was tired and thirsty and clumsier than usual. 

Who Zuko assumed to be the captain of the ship stared down at him with a sneer, not dissimilar to his father’s. Too terrified to move or speak, Zuko could only watch as he paced back and forth, still making a disgusted face at him. 

“Let’s cut his hands off,” one of the sailors snarled.

“Or brand him across his eye,” another added, glaring at Zuko. “Or—“

The captain held up a hand and said, “Come on, men, we’re not savages. This is a child we’re talking about. We’ll simply drop him off at the nearest civilization.” A surge of relief rushed through Zuko at these words. He could fend for himself once he was on solid land.

“Th— thank you, sir,” Zuko stammered. The captain gives him a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Of course. We’ll be arriving shortly, so go below deck and gather your things.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> zuko: i don't trust my sister when she's telling me i'm in danger  
> also zuko: i would trust this random ship captain with my life
> 
> zuko honey i love you but please stop being so impulsive


	2. Chapter 2

Sokka was catching snowflakes on his tongue with Katara when he coughed suddenly and cried, “Hey, that one tasted terrible!” Hakoda, who had been looking on fondly as his children played, chuckled softly, making Sokka turn on him. “I mean it, Dad! It tasted like fire!”

Immediately, Hakoda leapt to his feet and looked at the sky. Black soot had started mingling with the pure white snowflakes, and his heart filled with dread. “Sokka, Katara, get inside. Stay with your mother. I’ll be back soon.” 

He was approached by Bato, who muttered, “A fire nation raid? But we’ve done nothing wrong.”

Grabbing a spear, Hakoda replied, “That never mattered to them.”

Hakoda, Bato, and three other warriors went to examine the attack force. To their surprise, it was just one small ship, and it was moving away from their village. Hakoda knelt behind a nearby snowdrift to observe. 

The ship stopped and Hakoda braced for an attack. Instead, a lone figure was pushed from the deck, falling into a snowdrift. As the person struggled to pull themselves out of the snow, the ship started to move back out to sea. The engine noise slowly faded away, allowing the men to hear the other person’s cries, which sounded almost like—

“Tui and La, is that a  _ child _ ?” Hakoda stood, slowly walking towards the struggling figure. Before he could make it too far, Bato grabbed his arm.

“Hakoda, it could be a trap—“

“PLEASE, I’LL DIE IF YOU LEAVE ME HERE ALONE!” Definitely a child. Hakoda broke into a run. 

When Hakoda finally reached the child, he was taken aback by what he saw. The boy (or at least, Hakoda thought he was a boy) was filthy, and even smaller than Hakoda thought him to be. He was trembling in his Fire Nation clothes, which were clearly not suited for the South Pole. The loud cries had faded into sobs and  _ oh _ , Hakoda wanted to go over and comfort the boy, even though he was from the Fire Nation. “Kid,” Hakoda said, trying to get his attention.

The boy whirled around to face Hakoda, bright orange fire coming alight in his hands. “Get away from me!” He had the look of a wounded animal and was trembling all over. 

Hakoda’s mind was screaming at him to get out of there, but instead he found himself saying, “Hey, it’s alright. I won’t hurt you, okay?” Hakoda set his spear down beside him to show he meant no harm. “I don’t know what the Fire Nation taught you about the Southern Water Tribe, but we’re not savages—“

“That’s just what he said, and then he threw me off the boat,” the boy said, voice growing into a wail, “and left me here to die, because even if I’m not captured by the Water Tribe, this cold is just gonna kill me slowly—“

“You won’t die on my watch,” Hakoda said firmly, and reached out to touch him. It was instinctual, really— a soft touch was how he would comfort his own children. 

A shrill scream cut through the air and Hakoda felt a burning sensation, accompanied by a bright flash.

~ ~ ~

“Hakoda? Hakoda!” Bato’s voice came from somewhere above Hakoda, who opened his eyes. He was back in his village, lying on a cot. Bato and the other men were seated around him along with Kya, who was holding Hakoda’s hand.

Sitting up suddenly, Hakoda says, “Where is he?”

“The firebender? The coward ran away after burning you.” Bato’s voice was bitter as he gestured to one of Hakoda’s arms, which was wrapped in bandages. “It’s not severe, but it’ll sting for a few days. You’re lucky you weren’t killed.”

“He wasn’t trying to hurt me. I need to go find him.” He tried to stand, but Kya pushed him back into the cot. 

Raising an eyebrow, she asked, “You just got burnt by this man and you’re already going back out for revenge?”

“Not revenge, no— he needs our help.”

Bato grabbed him by the shoulder. “Hakoda,” he said. “It’s a trap. They want us to take in one of their own, grow to trust him, and tell him about us. Once he has the information he needs, he will betray us without a second thought.” Hakoda sighed. The Fire Nation had tried this before, and certainly would keep trying until they wiped out histribe. He knew this must be another one of their tricks.

And yet. The Fire Nation had never sent someone so small. They never throw their spies off the boat and drive away from their screams. And then there was what Hakoda had seen, just before that blinding flash of fire…

But one look into Kya’s eyes reminded Hakoda what he would be risking for this one Fire Nation boy. His wife, his children, his entire tribe could die because of his soft heart. Hakoda buried his face in his hands and groaned, “Tui and La, I knew the Fire Nation was cruel, but this…”

One of the other men finally spoke. “It’s what must be done, Chief Hakoda. This child could end our way of life—“

“I’m sorry, did you say ‘child’?” Kya’s eyes were wide as she looked around the room. “That firebender is a  _ child? _ ”

“I think he was about thirteen, definitely not older than fifteen. He was only wearing a tunic and some thin pants… at least it won’t be too long for him. I hope he doesn’t suffer.”

“So,” Kya said, and just from that one word Hakoda could tell how angry she was. Her mouth was pressed into a thin line and her eyes were pure blue fire, but her voice was eerily calm. “All you men are willing to let this child  _ die _ .”

“Kya, it’s not like I want to—“ Hakoda started to say, but Bato interrupted. 

“He’s Fire Nation, Kya. And he burned your husband!” Kya whirled on him and he shrank backwards.

“I see. So a slow, painful death is an appropriate punishment for a child who accidentally gave someone a few superficial injuries now.” Her piercing eyes bored into Hakoda. “You said he didn’t mean to hurt you.” Hakoda quickly nodded in agreement.

“And he was literally thrown off a ship into the snow.” Another nod. “And the ship left him, a firebender, alone in the South Pole, surrounded by ice and people who he probably was taught were savages. And you know what?”

_ Oh, here it comes _ , Hakoda thought. Kya’s voice was beginning to rise, and Hakoda knew these men were about to face her full fury. 

“You’re  _ acting  _ like savages right now! How can you just leave a child— someone’s son!— to freeze to death? How is Hakoda the only one who has an issue with this?! You know, you’re reminding me an awful lot of Fire Nation soldiers right now. You should be ashamed.” Those last words came out as a hiss. With an extra  _ hmpf,  _ Kya stomped to the door. “I’m going to find that kid. If anyone wants to stop me, well— I’d like to see you try.”

With that, she stormed out of the igloo. Hakoda sighed and stood up, wincing a bit as he pulled on his parka. “I’m going after her.”

“But your arm—“ 

“Bato, I’ll be fine. Take care of my children while I’m away.” Bato nodded, knowing that arguing when Hakoda was like this was pointless.

“Stay safe, Hakoda.”

“It takes more than one firebender to kill me,” Hakoda replied with a smirk. With that, he left the tent to follow his wife.

~ ~ ~

Kya was so furious that she barely felt the cold. How could those men decide that a scared kid was worthy of death? None of the others had children of their own, of course they wouldn’t understand. 

“Kya!” The sound of Hakoda’s voice behind her made Kya even angrier.

Whirling around, she said, “What, did they send you after me to stop me? To calm me down? I thought at least you understood.”

“Actually—“

“That’s a  _ child _ , Hakoda! I know the Fire Nation could be using him as bait, but that’s hardly his fault. Back home, he has a mother and father who care about him—“

“I—“

“Don’t try to stop me, Hakoda! As a mother, I have to do this. I won’t—“

“KYA!” Hakoda threw up his hands in exasperation. “I’m here to help you, okay? Just listen for a minute, will you?” Kya crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. “Just before he lashed out at me, he had this look on his face that burned itself into my mind.” Hakoda took a shaky breath, remembering the brief expression of pure fear on the boy’s face. “He wasn’t only afraid because I’m from the Water Tribe. He… he’s been hurt before.” Hakoda purposely left out who he suspected, but Kya understood. A few unspoken words passed between the couple and finally Kya’s shoulders slumped.

“I want to help him too, love,” Hakoda said, resting a hand on Kya’s shoulder. “We will find him.”

~ ~ ~

Night fell, and the couple had almost given up on finding the young firebender when Kya spotted a dim orange glow from a nearby cave. She almost let out a cry of relief as she and Hakoda approached the cave. Once outside, they heard quiet little sobs coming from inside. “You stay here,” Kya whispered to Hakoda. “I’ll handle this.” Then she straightened up and called, “Hello?” The sobs immediately stopped, but the glow didn’t fade. “Is anyone there?”

Inside the cave, Zuko’s heart hammered in his chest. “No,” he answered simply. He prayed to Agni that the person wouldn’t find him in his hiding place. No one could see him like this.

“You must be cold,” Kya said calmly. 

It was true, Zuko was colder than he’d ever been. But he couldn’t trust anyone anymore. “Please leave me alone.”

Kya can hear the shiver in his voice, which— Tui and La, that really was a child. Part of her had hoped Hakoda was wrong about his age. “Well, I’m cold, and you seem to have a nice fire going in there. I’m going to come inside now.” Zuko watched helplessly as the shape of a woman appeared at the cave’s entrance. He could only see her silhouette, but if he squinted, she almost looked like—

“Mom?” The voice came from a small, trembling form huddled near a weak fire. The boy’s dirty, tear-streaked face looked up at Kya with a glimmer of hope in his weary eyes. She took another step closer into the light and the boy quickly looked away. “Oh. I thought you were someone else.”

“May I sit down with you?” The boy frowned and tilted his head, thinking for a moment, then nodded. “Thank you,” Kya said, settling down by the fire.

“Don’t thank me, I’m being selfish. This is just ‘cause I don’t want to die alone.” Both Kya and Hakoda felt their hearts twist in their chest at the statement. 

The woman with him looked confused, so Zuko explained, “For a firebender, being in this kind of cold for too long is deadly. You’re slowly being deprived of your own element.” After a moment of thought he added, “I think for one of your people, it’d be like being stranded in the Zi Huang desert because that’s the furthest place from water you could be. Oh, and waterbenders are more powerful with the moon, right? So… it’d be like being stuck in the desert in the middle of the day. Knowing that nobody was going to come and rescue you.” Zuko curled in on himself even more, trying to hide his tears.

“You could come with me.” Zuko looked up, surprised by the offer. There was a kind of warmth in the woman’s blue eyes, one Zuko had seen when his mother looked at him. “My people have ways to keep ourselves warm, even in this cold. We could help you.” Zuko glanced down at his feet.

“I can’t. I burned one of their people. They know I’m a firebender and they’ll want me dead, just like my father and grandfather.” Any scrap of hope that had been left in the boy’s eyes faded away at these words, and the weak flame flickered out. He buried his face in his hands and started sobbing again, so Kya carefully put an arm around him. To her surprise, the boy snuggled into her. 

Could this boy’s relatives have really wanted him dead? What could he have possibly done to deserve this? Kya was about to ask him about his father and what kind of person could possibly want to hurt their own son, when—

“I want my mom.” That hollow whisper, so broken and sad, made Kya scoop the boy up in her arms and stand. Because she knew that somewhere, at that exact moment, the boy’s mother was somewhere weeping for her lost son. The very same way she would weep for Sokka if the unthinkable happened. And looking down on this pitiful, crying boy, she saw her little Sokka, scared and confused and alone. If the Fire Nation had somehow taken Sokka in a raid and made him serve them, she thought of how easily this could be him. 

“I don’t know where your mom is, but I’ll help you find her. Until then, I’m going to take care of you.” Zuko squeezed the woman tighter, trying desperately to drink in some of her warmth. Could she be telling the truth?

Hakoda watched as his wife carried the firebender out of the cave. He had his face buried in her chest and didn’t even notice Hakoda standing there. Kya’s eyes had that blue fire once more, this time coupled with an expression of steely resolve.

“Hakoda, get his things. This boy will be staying with us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kya's known this kid for ten minutes and already wants to sign the adoption papers
> 
> next chapter we get to see how the fire nation is doing with all of this!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note about Zuko's age:  
> Since a few people asked about it, Zuko really is 9, but Hakoda says he's about 13 in chapter 2. Hakoda is assuming this bc 1) Zuko seems to be a pretty good firebender for a kid so he's assuming that Zuko can't be THAT young, 2) he didn't get a really good look at Zuko before Zuko fireballed him, and 3) Zuko is pretty in shape for a kid (what with all the firebending and swordbending practice). Sorry for the confusion!
> 
> Also, come say hi on social media! My user is @nvrlostword on tumblr and twitter.
> 
> Now, I think it's about time we checked up on the royal family...

Azula was not afraid.

Standing next to her mother in a white dress, Azula was not afraid when she stared at her brother’s memorial. She may have squeezed onto her mother’s hand more tightly than usual, but that was only because Mother was crying so hard. Even though Mother could be mean, Azula didn’t like to see her sad.

Mother had been afraid that night, Azula could tell. Azula had never seen Mother scared. After asking her a lot of questions about what Grandfather said, Mother had gone to confront Father. Azula had stayed in Mother’s bed until she got bored of them arguing, then went to go annoy Zuko. That had always been fun.

But when she got to Zuko’s room, he wasn’t there. At first, Azula thought he was hiding. “Zuzu,” she called, “won’t you come out? Mother and Father are yelling again.” After getting no response, she frowned. “If you don’t come out, I’ll tell Mai you _liiiike_ her.” Azula grinned, knowing that would get a statement of denial from her brother. But still, there was no response. Could he not hear her?

She poked around in his room for over half an hour, still unable to find him. Azula then checked around his usual hiding places in the castle until the sun rose, but there was no sign of Zuko. When she walked back to her father’s chambers, maybe she was moving faster than usual. Not because she was scared, of course, she just wanted to find her brother’s new hiding spot.

When she got to her parents, their fighting had faded into quiet, determined whispers. “Mother,” Azula said, “Zuzu’s hiding.” Azula had to fight to keep her voice from quivering— quivering from the excitement of finding a brand new hiding spot, of course, and a great one at that.

Father waved his hand dismissively and said, “Azula, leave us. We are discussing important matters.” Azula looked back at her mother.

“ _Mom,_ ” Azula said, getting her mother’s full attention. “I can’t find him anywhere.”

What Azula had seen in her mother’s eyes— now, _that_ was fear. Azula had been ordered to her room hastily, and when she tried to leave, four guards stood outside and blocked her path.

Ursa had frantically searched the castle for her beloved son, but nobody had seen him anywhere. It was as if Zuko had vanished into thin air. She knew Ozai couldn’t have done anything, Zuko was fine right before Ursa had gone to plead with Ozai to save her son, and she had talked to him the whole night. Zuko had disappeared sometime during her conversation with Ozai. Had Azulon taken matters into his own hands? After a meeting with his father, Ozai confirmed her worst fears. Azulon had ordered assassins to abduct her son and kill him with his own swords.

But Ozai was not being truthful. When he had been summoned by Firelord Azulon, Ozai had been congratulated on completing the job so quickly. At first, Ozai was disappointed because if Zuko was dead, Ursa’s plan to make him Firelord would never come to light. But Ozai was quick to accept Azulon’s praise, knowing he could somehow use this misunderstanding to his advantage.

As he had been walking back to his chambers, the idea had struck him. Ursa loved their son dearly. If she believed that Firelord Azulon had Zuko murdered, a burning hatred for the old man would grow within her. If cultivated carefully, Ozai could use that hatred to make her enact her plan later. So he lied to his father, and he lied to his wife.

Azula could tell her father was hiding something. She had become really good at lying and could easily tell when other people were lying, too. But Azula was— not scared, just worried. Something had happened to her brother, something bad. And as far as she could tell, Zuko didn’t do anything to deserve it, besides being worse than her at firebending forms. But what if something bad happened to Azula?

Four days later, Zuko was pronounced dead. Azula still wasn’t quite sure what ‘dead’ was, but Mother seemed to think it was bad. She had cried all through the night, and then in the morning, and was still crying now, at Zuko’s funeral. 

But when Azula looked over at her father, he was smiling. _Would he smile like that_ , she wondered, _if I was dead?_ Azula held her mother’s hand even tighter.

Maybe, just maybe, Azula was a little bit afraid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> setting up that sweet sweet azula redemption arc VERY early
> 
> ozai: oh yeah i certainly killed zuko  
> azula: you're certainly full of shit
> 
> due to my desire to post everything i have as soon as i have it written, i've decided to limit myself to posting only on days when cookie run breakout resets every week. why? because those are the only days that have meaning anymore. in case you are unfortunate enough not to be playing cookie run, those days are monday, wednesday, and saturday
> 
> oh by the way iroh still has no clue any of this happened bc he's still in the earth kingdom
> 
> in the next chapter the boys FINALLY MEET
> 
> thanks for reading, your comments and kudos give me life


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> due to everyone commenting about kya and zuko, i did a meme drawing of them here on my tumblr: https://nvrlostword.tumblr.com/post/624362560508084224/kya-says-respect-this-child-or-die-by-my

Sokka and Katara sat outside the igloo, trying to hear what their mother was saying to the firebender. Hakoda would have scolded them if he wasn’t doing the same thing. 

Kya, who could hear her children whispering loudly outside, looked over at the firebender and said, “The bath water should be warm enough now. Why don’t you take a few minutes and clean up?” With a quick nod, the boy started unwrapping himself from the blankets Kya had given him. “I’ll have my husband and children prepare dinner for you. I’m sure they’d be happy to help,” she said in a slightly louder voice, making all three of the eavesdroppers jump.

She stepped back into the main room, where her husband and children had very obviously just scrambled inside. “Well? I know you all heard me.”

“I’ll go out and get some fish,” Sokka announced, running out of the igloo.

While Katara and Hakoda helped Kya, Zuko slid into the bathtub. It was a simple stone basin heated from below by a fire, but it was still much too cold for Zuko’s liking. He rinsed off as quickly as he could, dried himself off with a blanket, then put on the clothes the woman had left him. They were dry and far better suited to the cold than Zuko’s clothes, but Zuko was still chilled to the bone. 

After trying (and failing) to generate his own flame, Zuko scooted over to the tub and scooped up some of the flames in his hands.

“Woah,” a voice said. Zuko jumped, but he managed to keep the fire from going out. He turned to see a boy about his age standing in a small doorway behind him. Zuko froze, not knowing what to expect. Should he put the fire out? Should he attack and try to run? He’d never really known any other boys except for his cousin. And his cousin had been years older than Zuko.

Sokka had also never had friends his age, except for his sister. He’d been expecting to find an injured Fire Nation soldier in his house, not some kid. Sokka sat down next to him and said, “So you’re really a firebender?” The other boy nodded uncertainly. “Huh. I thought they were all evil.”

Zuko started to protest, but the Water Tribe boy interrupted by saying, “You seem nice, though.”

“Oh. Thanks.” There was an awkward silence between the two, in which Zuko fiddled with his flame. 

“You know, sometimes I wish I was a firebender.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, cause then I could cook meat with just my hands.” That was the most ridiculous use of firebending Zuko had ever heard of, but the boy said it with such an amazed tone that Zuko couldn’t help but laugh.

Sokka huffed and said, “What’s so funny? That’s a genius idea, admit it!” The firebender laughed even harder and, despite his best efforts to stay annoyed, Sokka found himself joining in too. Something about the firebender’s laugh was contagious, and when the flame in his hands burst up and almost singed off his eyebrows, Sokka was howling. 

Kya saw a bright flash from the back room and ran to investigate, but she only found Sokka and the boy in a fit of laughter.  
  
“Sokka,” Kya scolded, “I thought you were going to get fish.”

“I was,” Sokka whined, “I just wanted to see if he could cook it with his magic flame hands.” The two boys burst into laughter again and any anger still in Kya melted away. 

“Hm, it looks like a ferocious warrior has snuck into our igloo to bother our guest,” Hakoda said, moving to stand next to Kya. “Whatever should we do with him?” Nobody noticed the way Zuko immediately stopped laughing and tensed up. 

“Maybe he should do the dishes for the next week,” Kya suggested.

“That seems fair.”

“Aw, come on Dad, you’re supposed to be on my side!”

“That’s your _father?!_ ” But no one seemed to hear Zuko’s question.

With a twinkle in his eyes, Hakoda said, “Well then, I suppose this can be solved another way. The Water Tribe way.”

“Seriously, Dad? Not another tickle fight--”

“It’s not a tickle fight, it’s ritual combat!” Grinning, Hakoda picked up a laughing Sokka and started tickling him all over, but a ball of flame suddenly whizzed past his ear. Before he knew it, the firebender was standing between him and Sokka.

“Don’t hurt him.” The little firebender stared up at Hakoda in defiance, but his legs were shaking. Now that he was cleaned up, Hakoda realized he was even younger than he’d first thought. 

Sokka could sense the change of mood, but didn’t understand it at all. “Hey, what’re you doing? My dad’s not really gonna hurt me.”

“You don’t have to lie to me,” Zuko said, not looking away from Hakoda. His eyes narrowed. “I know what fathers are like.” And that confirmed Hakoda and Kya’s worst fears. 

“Are you three going to make Katara and I do all the work around here?” For once, Kya was happy to hear her mother-in-law’s interruption. She ushered Hakoda out of the room, then gently coaxed the firebender away from Sokka. 

“Go help your sister, Sokka. We’ll be out in a minute.” Kya knelt next to the boy, who looked away from her. 

“I messed up, didn’t I? I’m sorry. Somehow I always end up doing that.”

“No, it’s okay. It was just a misunderstanding.” After a moment, she added softly, “Is it because of how your own father treated you?” The boy nodded slowly and his shoulders slumped. “Well, I think it was very brave of you to try and protect someone you just met. What’s your name?”

“I’m Zuko.” Kya smiled.

“That’s a lovely name. My name is Kya.”

“It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.” Zuko gave Kya a quick bow. “I’m sorry to intrude on your family, but may I stay for the night? I’m seeking passage to the Earth Kingdom.” Kya let out a small chuckle at the boy’s suddenly formal manner.

“It may be longer than that. Fire nation ships don’t come by the South Pole very often.” Kya thought this would be a bad time to mention that when Fire Nation ships did come, they were always attacking. Zuko started to get that panicked look in his eyes again so Kya said, “You can stay with us until the next ship arrives, okay?”

“You mean it?”

“It’s a promise,” Kya said with a smile. Zuko smiled back, then his eyes widened.

“Oh!” He dug around in his bag and retrieved an ornate-looking red and gold pouch. “I should pay you for your troubles. If that’s not enough, I can ask my uncle to send you more when I meet up with him.” Kya tried to refuse, but Zuko stubbornly insisted that she take the money. Finally Kya took the pouch, resolving to give it back before the little firebender headed home.

The smell of cooked fish wafted through the air, making Zuko’s stomach growl. “Sounds like someone’s hungry,” Kya laughed. Taking his hand, she said, “Let’s get some food in you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *kya voice* that's... a lot of money for a kid to be carrying around...
> 
> no i'm not crying at zuko trying to protect sokka from hakoda even tho zuko thinks he'll get hurt i'M NOT CRYING I SWEAR


	5. Chapter 5

Kya led Zuko out to where the rest of her family was already waiting to eat. Or, at least, they  _ should  _ have been waiting. With an irritated huff, Kya noticed that Sokka and Hakoda had already started digging in. Still, it was nice to see her family all at the table together, especially since Hakoda was often too busy to eat dinner with them.

Zuko was decidedly less excited to see the man he’d burned sitting at the table and shrunk back behind Kya. Noticing the boy’s sudden shyness, Kya squeezed his hand reassuringly.

Sokka was the first to notice that the duo had emerged from the back room. A grin spread across his face when Sokka noticed his new firebender friend hiding behind his mom. Jumping up from his seat, Sokka shouted, “Fireboy! I saved you a seat next to me!”

Zuko started to walk towards him, but a small hand grabbed his arm. “No fair, Sokka, I called dibs!” Sokka’s little sister was staring determinedly up at Zuko, and tightened her grip on him. 

“Don’t touch him, Katara, you’ll give him cooties!” Before Zuko could ask what cooties were, Sokka had grabbed his other arm. Zuko quickly found himself in the middle of a game of tug-of-war between the siblings and looked to Kya for help.

Kya sighed and shook her head. She had wanted to sit next to Zuko so he would feel safe, but the kids were obviously going to keep arguing all through dinner if she did. “You can both sit next to him,” she said, and the kids cheered.

Zuko (who had never had anyone want to sit next to him in his entire life) was very confused. Both siblings were staring intently at him and he couldn’t figure out why, but there was a more pressing issue at hand. Zuko looked down at the filet that had been set in front of him and gulped.

_ How was he supposed to eat it? _

Zuko frowned at the fish so intensely that Kya thought he was insulted by it. He picked up the fork they had provided him, twirled it between his fingers for a moment, and then, with a sudden flick of his wrist, stabbed it through the center of the filet. He then lifted the entire filet off the plate with the fork and bit a chunk off one of the edges. He chewed thoughtfully for a moment and tilted his head.  _ Not bad. _

“ _ Dude _ ,” Sokka whispered, making Zuko jump. To his utter horror, the entire family was staring at Zuko.

Defensively, Zuko said, “What?!”

“That is… absolute genius!” Immediately Sokka repeated Zuko’s action, grinning the whole time. Through a mouthful of fish, he said, “You don’th even hath tuh wait tuh cut ith! Geniuth!”

Again, Zuko found himself laughing at Sokka’s antics. It was nervous at first, but as the rest of the family slowly joined in, Zuko’s anxiety melted away. For a moment, he even forgot that Hakoda was in the room with him.

“I like you, Fireboy,” Sokka said once the laughter died down.

“My name’s Zuko.” Upon hearing that name, Hakoda frowned. He felt that he’d heard the name somewhere before, but he couldn’t quite place it. 

Trying to appear as casual as he could, Hakoda asked, “So, Zuko, where are you from?”

Zuko suddenly snapped up straight and said, “I’m from Caldera City, sir.”

“Please,” Hakoda smiled, “call me Hakoda.”

“Yes, Hakoda sir.” There wasn’t an ounce of sarcasm in Zuko’s voice.

“That must be why you’re such a good firebender, then. There must be many great teachers there.” Zuko laughed again, but it wasn’t the carefree sound he’d let out earlier.

“I’m actually not a very good firebender, Hakoda sir.”

“I have a burn on my arm that says otherwise.” Hakoda meant it as a joke, but Zuko’s shoulders flew upwards and he flinched. Internally, Hakoda cursed himself for not reading the room.

“What my husband is trying to say,” Kya (thankfully) interrupted, “is that we’ve seen other firebenders struggle to control their flames in the South Pole. In fact, sometimes soldiers can’t bend at all because of the cold. You’re quite a powerful bender, Zuko.”

“Not really,” Zuko said, and the adults couldn’t help but notice how he visibly relaxed when talking to Kya. “My little sister is way better than me at bending. And at school. And, well, at everything, I guess.”

Zuko felt a hand press into his own and turned towards Sokka, surprised by his warmth. But when Zuko met his eyes, he was even more surprised by the somber look of understanding in Sokka’s blue eyes. Zuko whispered, “You too?” Sokka nodded and gave him a little smile.

Maybe it was the tiredness, or the cold, or the shock of everything that had happened this past week, but that smile almost made Zuko cry. He turned his face away but held Sokka’s hand a bit tighter. 

Just as quickly as it had happened, the moment between the two boys passed, unnoticed by anyone else. The rest of dinner had passed by uneventfully, and once everything was all cleaned up, Sokka didn’t hesitate to take Zuko’s hand again and lead him to his bedroom. And Zuko didn’t hesitate to set up his sleeping bag right in front of Sokka’s doorway, positioned so that no one could sneak past him to get Sokka.

~ ~ ~

Sokka woke up sweating in the middle of the night. When he sat up, he noticed that there were more blankets on his bed then there had been when he fell asleep. Sleepy and confused, Sokka rubbed his eyes and looked around. A dim orange flame flickered in front of him and went out. When it came back, it was even weaker than before. 

Remembering the events of the night before, Sokka whispered, “Zuko?” There was no response, but Sokka could see a shivering figure huddled by his door. Sokka pushed his blankets off and went to sit next to Zuko. “Zuko, what’s wrong?”

“C- cold,” Zuko replied, teeth chattering. In the orange glow, Zuko’s eyes somehow looked darker than they had at dinner. The way Zuko looked right now reminded Sokka of the time his father had gotten a really bad flu and was stuck in bed for a week.

“You’re cold?” Realizing that Zuko only had one thin blanket still wrapped around him, Sokka asked, “Why’d you give your blankets to me, then?” Zuko tried to respond but couldn’t get anything out through his shivers. Finally, he gave up trying to talk and just pointed at Sokka. “Me? Oh, you didn’t want me to be cold?” Zuko nodded. “Thanks, I guess, but I don’t want you to be cold either.” 

Sokka sat still for a minute, thinking, then stood up and gathered all the blankets from his cot. He gestured for Zuko to get back in the sleeping bag, then piled the blankets on top of Zuko. Zuko tried to protest but Sokka whispered, “Shh. Don’t wake anyone else up.” 

Once Sokka was satisfied with how much Zuko was covered, he lifted the blankets one last time and slid into the sleeping bag. Finally he snuggled as close to Zuko as he possibly could and said, “We can both be warm now.” Zuko gave one of Sokka’s hands a tight squeeze in reply. “I’ve got you, Zuko.”

Within minutes the two boys were asleep, more comfortable than they’d ever been before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'ALL THIS ENDING... I"M SO SOFT DON'T LOOK AT ME
> 
> by the way, this fic title is a lyric from imagination forest, which is part of the wonderful kagerou project! idk it just reminded me of the boys' dynamic here  
> also since i love kagepro so much, there has to be a shameless kagepro plug in everything i do. a little kagepropaganda, if you will
> 
> me wanting to respond to all your comments and interact with you guys vs my crippling social anxiety
> 
> seriously it was like 4am when i wrote the first draft of this chapter's ending and i legit cried bc s o f t
> 
> i know there's not a ton of katara yet but that will be fixed soon, promise
> 
> oh also, i was thinking about asking someone to be my beta reader, would any of you be interested? i've never had one before and i'm not really sure how it works but it sure seems like it would be helpful
> 
> thanks for reading!!!!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3


	6. Chapter 6

By the time Sokka woke up, Zuko’s body seemed a little warmer, but he was still shivering and holding tight to Sokka. Sokka pressed a hand against Zuko’s forehead to feel for a fever, frowning when he felt how cold Zuko was. 

Though he didn’t want to leave Zuko and the warmth of the sleeping bag, Sokka carefully slipped out of bed and tiptoed into the next room. “Mom. Hey, Mom,” Sokka whispered, nudging Kya until she stirred. “Mom, I think there’s something wrong with Zuko.”

“Okay, I’ll be up in a few minutes,” Kya replied, also not wanting to leave her bed. Still asleep, Hakoda pulled her a little closer.

Meanwhile, Sokka had returned to his room with some seal jerky in case Zuko was awake, but his new friend was still sound asleep. Between the threat of being murdered, being jostled around inside of the ship’s crates, and getting thrown into the snow, Zuko hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep in almost a week. When he slept, Zuko dreamt of his mother.

“Zuko, can you hear me?” A woman’s voice cut through Zuko’s dream and he rubbed his eyes.

“Mom?”

“No, it’s me, Kya.” Zuko opened his eyes. The first thing he felt was confusion, but almost immediately he was overwhelmed by the bitter cold biting at him from within. He pulled the blankets tighter around him and tried to think.

“I’m here too,” Sokka added. “I brought you seal jerky but then I ate it all. Sorry about that.” 

“That’s okay.” As Zuko remembered everything that had happened, he shrunk into himself. A shiver ran through his whole body.

“Hey, Zuko, don’t be sad,” Sokka said, bumping Zuko’s shoulder. “I can get more seal jerky if you want.”

“No, it’s not that. I miss my mom and my uncle, and my father, too.” Kya had a few choice words she wanted to say about Zuko’s father, but let Zuko talk. “I even miss my sister a little. But I don’t know if I’ll ever see them again. It’s not even safe for me to be in the Fire Nation any more. I can’t go home.” Zuko rested his chin on his knees and closed his eyes, trying not to cry.

“It’s gonna be okay, Zuko. Me and my family are gonna take care of you.” Sokka gave Zuko a tight squeeze and patted him on the head. Kya felt her heart warm as she watched Sokka comfort Zuko.

“Sokka brought me in here because he said you were still very cold, Zuko. Can I check your forehead?” Zuko nodded, allowing Kya to press a hand against him. “Oh spirits, you’re freezing! You didn’t go out and jump in the sea last night, did you?”

“No, I’m not stupid,” Zuko muttered. Kya frowned, then came to a realization.

“Is this because of what you said yesterday about being deprived of your element?” At Zuko’s nod, she asked, “Is there anything else we can do for you? Do you need some more fire?” Kya had tried to make the igloo as warm as possible last night for Zuko and was honestly shocked he was still so cold. 

“It’s okay. It’ll take me a few days to get back to normal temperature after all that time in the cold. Even if I was in the middle of a volcano, it would take time for me to warm up again.”

“If you were in the middle of a volcano, I think you’d have other problems,” Sokka said thoughtfully, making Zuko giggle. At Zuko’s bright laugh, the fire in the main room flared up brightly, nearly singeing Kanna’s eyebrows off. She grumbled a little at Zuko and stomped away, but Zuko was too surprised to notice. Still wrapped up in the blankets, Zuko walked over to the firepit. 

“Did I just do that?” Zuko knelt down and said, “That’s weird.”

Sokka followed and sat next to Zuko. “Is it really so weird for a firebender to bend fire?”

“I’ve never accidentally bent fire before unless I was really scared. Or mad. I didn’t think that fire could react to my happiness.”

“Awww, you’re happy?” Sokka bumped Zuko’s shoulder and stuck out his tongue. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I am,” was the unexpected answer. “Even though I miss home, there’s something nice about being here. I don’t have to worry about disappointing anyone.” Kya sat down on Zuko’s other side and rested a hand on his shoulder.

“I don’t know how anyone could be disappointed in you, Zuko. You’re a polite young man and a very talented bender.” At Kya’s words of praise the fire blazed brighter.

“Hey, what about me?” Sokka pouted and tugged on his mom’s sleeve.

“You’ll always be my brave little warrior, Sokka, and I’m very proud of you. Though your manners leave something to be desired,” she teased. Grinning, she wrapped Sokka up in a big hug and smothered him with kisses.

“Aw, come on, Mom, cut it out! You’re embarrassing me in front of Zuko,” Sokka whined, half-heartedly pushing Kya away. Upon seeing the mother and son interact, Zuko laughed again, and Sokka thought that must be the best sound in the whole world. Looking at Zuko, a sudden realization hit Sokka. “Oh, Zuko! You’re not shivering as much.”

“Hm?” After moving over to the fire, Zuko had almost forgotten about the chill in his bones. “Oh. I… I do feel a little warmer now, I think. And I’m a lot happier.” Sokka took Zuko’s hand, which was definitely less cold than it had been a few minutes ago. If this was how to keep Zuko warm and happy, Sokka thought, then he could do this for as long as it took, even if it meant enduring his mom’s teasing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a bit of a filler chapter, but some exciting stuff happens next time!
> 
> sokka bringing zuko seal jerky but then eating it all before he wakes up is honestly such a mood
> 
> i can tell when one of you comes from here to my tumblr bc you always like my kya and zuko post and then go on and like my others and/or follow me and eeeee i love it it makes me feel all warm inside :>
> 
> by the way, kya could singlehandedly kill ozai, even with his firebending
> 
> thanks for reading!!!!


	7. Chapter 7

It took almost a week, but Zuko finally felt back to normal. He woke up with the sun and practically leapt out of bed, much to Sokka’s annoyance. Groaning, he tried to pull Zuko back into his arms, missing the firebender’s warmth, but Zuko was too quick for him. Sokka grumbled a bit before easily going back to sleep, as the blankets were still just as warm as Zuko.

But someone else had heard the young firebender getting ready for the day. Little Katara perked up upon hearing light footsteps in the main room and hastily changed out of her nightclothes. She put on her parka and bounced over to the door, barely able to contain her excitement when-

“And where do you think you’re going, young lady?” Hakoda was frowning down at Katara, holding the back of her hood. 

“I think Zuko went out to practice his bending. Can I go watch him? Pleeease?” Katara rested her chin on her hands and looked up at Hakoda with wide eyes. 

“Not before you eat your breakfast. And tell your mother where you’re going so an adult knows where you are.” Katara blinked.

“But you’re an adult?”

“Yes, but I’m going to be gone today, remember?”

“Oh, right!” In all the excitement, Katara had forgotten that her father was headed to one of the islands in the north. For hundreds of years, the islands near the Southern Air Temple had seen people of all four nations gather to trade peacefully- until the Fire Nation had attacked, of course. Still, people of the Southern Water Tribe would travel to the unconquered islands to trade with people from the southernmost reaches of the Earth Kingdom. About once every month in the non-winter months, Hakoda and a few others would spend a couple of days on one of the islands. Every time Hakoda went, he would try to bring something back for Katara and Sokka. “See if you can find me a waterbending scroll, okay?”

“Okay,” Hakoda said with a laugh, “but no promises.” For the past two years, Katara had asked for the same thing, but she was never disappointed when Hakoda brought her back something else. Katara gave Hakoda a hug and a kiss on the cheek, then rushed to go tell her mom. Hakoda gave the still asleep Sokka a kiss, grabbed his bags, and headed outside to the waiting boats.

~ ~ ~

“Hey, Zuko!” Zuko jumped at the sound of a voice behind him. He had gone just outside the village to practice his firebending and was in the middle of meditation.

“Oh, hey Katara. What is it?” Zuko hadn’t talked to Katara much, but she seemed nice. Much nicer than Azula, certainly. 

“Oh, uh… you might not want to practice your firebending so close to the village. Sometimes the tents catch on fire.” Zuko frowned, so Katara quickly added, “I know a spot though! The only people around are some otter penguins.” 

“Okay.” Zuko followed Katara to a spot on top of a nearby glacier where he could see the entire village. He saw a few boats departing and pointed down at them. “Hey, where are they going?”

“They’re going to trade with some people from the Earth Kingdom. My dad’s gonna see if he can get a waterbending scroll for me.”

Zuko tilted his head, thinking for a moment, then gasped. “You’re a waterbender?!” Katara nodded shyly.

“I’m not very good, though,” she said, blushing and looking down at her feet.

“That’s awesome! I’ve never met a real waterbender before.” Zuko grinned at her, then jumped up suddenly. “Oh! Hang on a second!” He dug around in his bag for a minute before retrieving a collection of scrolls. “My uncle gave me these. He said that the strongest firebenders understand all of the different elements and how they work together. He wanted me to study them, but, well, I never got around to it.” Zuko wasn’t even sure why he ended up packing these, but he was glad he did. He quickly glanced at one of the scrolls, frowning and tossing it aside when he saw earthbending forms inside. 

All in all, Zuko had four different waterbending scrolls of varying difficulty. Barely able to contain her excitement, Katara bobbed up and down on her heels. “This is so cool! I can’t believe I’m finally gonna learn waterbending!”

With a confused tilt of his head, Zuko asked, “The masters haven’t started teaching you yet?"

Katara shook her head and replied, “I’m the only waterbender in my tribe. But now that you’re here, you can teach me!”

Zuko’s brow furrowed. “Well, I can’t waterbend with you,” he said slowly, “so I’m not sure how much help I’ll be. I guess I can go through the forms with you and use fire instead of water?” Zuko concentrated for a moment, and a ball of flame burst to life in his outstretched hand. He picked the form that looked the most similar to firebending, which was something called the single water whip. “Can you hold the scroll open for me? I want to see if this’ll even work.”

Zuko rigidly went through the forms, frowning as the fire mirrored his stiff movements. He stopped for a minute and said to himself, “What would Uncle do?” Uncle would probably tell Zuko he was thinking too much like a firebender, and he should approach the move the way a waterbender would. Zuko racked his brain to remember everything he knew about waterbenders. They were adaptable, graceful, and fluid, according to Uncle. He tried the move again, this time allowing the stances to flow into one another. 

To his complete surprise, the fireball didn’t blow up in Zuko’s face. “Zuko, you’re doing it! You’re doing a waterbending move with fire!”

“I am?” When Zuko realized that the fire was behaving just like the water on the scroll, he repeated, “I am!” A huge grin crossed his face and the fire burned even brighter. Confidently, Zuko went to release the whip- then tripped and fell flat on his face. Katara giggled and went to help Zuko up. “Sorry about that,” he said sheepishly. “I always mess everything up somehow.”

“Are you kidding? That was amazing, Zuko! So what if you slipped on some ice at the end? You had it, I know you did!” Katara grabbed Zuko’s hands, grinning from ear to ear, and Zuko couldn’t help but smile back. “Can I try a move now? I think that one’s too hard for me, but there’s a move in the beginner’s scroll I wanna try.”

“Okay, let’s do it!”

~ ~ ~

Long after Katara was called back in for chores, Zuko was still out on the glacier practicing his forms. He was so intent on his bending that he didn’t notice Sokka climbing up the glacier towards him.

“Uh, hello? Earth to Zuko,” Sokka shouted, waving his arms up and down. Zuko grinned when he spotted his friend.

“Hey, Sokka! Watch this!” Zuko concentrated on the fire in front of him, making it dance back and forth. “It’s a waterbending move Katara and I are working on. When you do it with water, it’s like you’re making waves.” Zuko looked over to Sokka, expecting him to be impressed. Instead, he seemed like he was about to burst into tears. 

“You’re supposed to be my friend,” Sokka blurted out, feeling betrayed by Zuko’s sudden interest in his sister. “Is it because she’s a waterbender? Is that why you like her more than me?”

“What are you talking about? Sokka, I don’t like her better than you.” Zuko put out the fire and went to sit next to Sokka. He offered his hand to Sokka, but Sokka rejected it.

Resting his chin on his knees, Sokka muttered, “How could you not? She can do cool water magic and I can’t. Everybody likes her more than me, I know it.”

“That’s just it, Sokka.” Zuko smiled softly and squeezed Sokka’s shoulder. 

Sokka sniffled. “Huh?”

“Everyone likes my sister more than me, too. If you met her, do you think you’d like her more?”

“No way! You’re like, the coolest guy I’ve ever met,” Sokka sputtered indignantly. “I’d never choose your stupid little sister who everyone else likes over you.”

“I feel the same about you, Sokka. See, that’s the thing- we understand each other in a way no one else does.” Sokka glanced over at Zuko, who was giving him the warmest smile he’d ever seen. “Katara might be my friend, but you? You’re my  _ best  _ friend, Sokka.” He felt his cheeks heat up as Zuko’s hands wiped away his tears. “Hug?”

Sokka nodded and embraced Zuko. With a little bit of a blush himself, Zuko realized the gravity of what he’d just said. He’d never had a best friend before. Would he be good enough for Sokka? Did Sokka even think of him that way? Had Zuko overstepped his bounds?

“You’re my best friend too, Zuko.”  _ Oh.  _ Zuko breathed a little sigh of relief and held Sokka tighter. “I just wish there was something special I could do with you like Katara can.” 

Zuko’s eyes drifted over to the pile of his belongings, where the hilt of one of his swords was just peeking out from under some firebending scrolls. “Actually,” Zuko said slowly, “there might be something we can do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AYYYYY WE GOT TO NUMBER ONE ON FANDOMETRICS LET'S GOOOOOOOOOO
> 
> Next chapter will be kinda like the tales of ba sing se, where we get short stories about a lot of the characters! we'll be checking up on some characters we haven't seen in a while, and one we haven't seen yet (but who a lot of people have asked about!)
> 
> finally, some katara content  
> have i mentioned that i love katara? no? well, i love katara
> 
> the real reason that the scrolls were in zuko's bag was that iroh put them in there before leaving for ba sing se, hoping that zuko would look at them. he didn't.
> 
> JEALOUS SOKKA JEALOUS SOKKA JEALOUS SOKKA JEALOUS S
> 
> it's SWORDBENDING TIME


	8. Chapter 8

[Zuko, Sokka, and Katara]

“Zuko, Zuko, Zuko!” Katara and Sokka ran up the glacier towards their friend, who was diligently practicing his firebending. Just as he was about to release his fire whip, a snowball hit him in the back of the head.

“Ow! Wha-” Before he knew it, Zuko was lying flat on the ground, having been tackle-hugged by Sokka. “Hey, it’s not swordbending time yet!” Not wanting to be left out, Katara jumped on top of Sokka and Zuko. Over the past couple of days, Zuko had spent his mornings bending with Katara and his afternoons teaching Sokka how to swordfight. Both siblings had been thrilled to train with their new friend, and Zuko was glad he had something he could do with both of them. But usually they didn’t come up to see him at the same time. “Is your father back?”

“No, not yet,” Katara answered, and Zuko’s shoulders slumped a bit. Sokka had promised that once Hakoda returned, they would teach Zuko how to fight like a water tribe warrior. While Zuko was still suspicious of Hakoda, Sokka and Katara seemed to trust him, so Zuko would give him a chance. He also felt bad about burning Hakoda when he’d first arrived, so letting Hakoda teach him something seemed like a way to seek forgiveness. “But Zuko, it’s officially springtime today!”

Zuko racked his brain, trying to remember anything he’d learned about water tribe customs from his tutors. “Oh, that’s important because… uh… why is that important?”

The siblings looked at each other, grinned, then said in unison, “It’s penguin sledding season!”

“Huh?” Sokka pulled Zuko up and started dragging him towards a group of otter penguins while Katara tried to explain the tradition to him.

“The otter penguins slide around on their tummies to travel around the glaciers,” she said. “If you ride on their backs, you can go really fast! So us kids have made it a tradition that on the first day of spring, we all go penguin sledding together, and whoever wins is blessed by Tui and La for the rest of the year!” Those were the moon and ocean spirits, Zuko knew that. But if you asked him which was which, Zuko would’ve had to guess.

“It’s not much of a competition,” Sokka bragged. “I’ve won the past three years.”

As they approached the penguin sledding glacier, Zuko could see why. There was only one other kid there, a four year old girl named Sakari. Gran-gran was also there, holding a bucket of fish. “Hello,” she said, waving at the trio approaching her. “I assume you’ve told Zuko about the race?”

“Yup,” Sokka replied cheerfully, taking a fish from the bucket. Several otter penguins gathered around him and Sokka sized each one up carefully. “I choose… you!” Sokka threw the fish to the biggest one and jumped on its back while it ate. Katara chose next, then Sakari, and then it was Zuko’s turn. He reached towards the fish bucket, then hesitated and frowned at Gran-gran.

“I’m not hurting them, am I?” Zuko winced a bit as he remembered throwing a large chunk of bread at one of his mother’s turtleducks. He didn’t tell anyone, but he’d felt bad about it for days afterwards.

Kanna was taken aback by this question. She still didn’t entirely trust the young firebender and expected him to be much like the rest of his people, who didn’t care about the suffering of others. “No,” she replied after a moment. “As long as you’re riding them properly, they won’t be in pain. Sokka can show you how.”

“Okay. Thank you, ma’am.” Zuko hesitantly held a fish in the air and was immediately bowled over by a hungry otter penguin. Laughing, he said, “I guess I’ll go with you, then. You remind me of Sokka.”

As Zuko was taught how to steer Penguin Sokka by his namesake, Kanna couldn’t help but smile. Maybe this firebender wasn’t so bad after all.

Once the four racers were ready, Kanna said, “Alright, the rules are simple. The first one back to the village wins. Kya will be waiting at the finish line to determine the winner. Now, are you ready?” Four little heads bobbed up and down in unison. “On your mark, get set, GO!”

With that, all four racers were off. Sokka was in the lead with Katara hot on his heels, while Zuko and Sakari trailed behind. As they sped through the ice tunnels, Katara got an idea. Biting down on one of her mittens, Katara pulled her hand free and concentrated. Seconds later, Sokka’s penguin hit a bump of ice and he flew off his penguin, landing flat on his butt. Katara giggled, silently thanking Zuko for helping her with waterbending as she raced towards the village. 

“Ow,” Sokka groaned, standing up and rubbing his behind. Sakari and Zuko were steadily approaching him, but as Sokka watched, Sakari went through the wrong tunnel with Zuko right behind her. “Oh no,” he breathed, then yelled, “Zuko, Sakari! Don’t go that way!” But it was already too late. With a new determination, Sokka jumped on his penguin’s back and rode to the village as fast as he could.

“I won, I won! Mom, I really won,” Katara was cheering when Sokka emerged from the tunnel. She grinned and stuck her tongue out at Sokka as he approached. “Well well well, here’s our first loser-”

“Mom!” Sokka leapt off his penguin and sprinted towards Kya, who was suddenly worried by the look on her son’s face. 

“What is it? Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine- it’s Zuko! He and Sakari went down the wrong tunnel- I tried to stop them but- they were headed towards that really thin patch of ice-” A few other villagers who’d decided to watch the race, including Sakari’s parents, scrambled to get up at these words.

“Get some rope,” Kya shouted, then ran to the spot Sokka was talking about. She climbed up a snowdrift to see Zuko and Sakari standing about ten feet apart, completely still. Zuko was so concentrated on drawing his body heat upwards and away from the thin ice that he didn’t even notice her. _Don’t melt the ice_ , he thought to himself. _Don’t melt the ice don’t melt the ice don’t melt the ice don’t melt-_

“Sakari!” The little girl’s parents had come just behind Kya, holding some rope.

“Mom! Dad!” Sakari started to run to her parents, but before she could even take three steps, she had fallen through the ice. Her sudden cry caught Zuko’s attention and, before he could think about what he was doing, Zuko had thrown his parka off. Sokka’s eyes widened as he watched his friend slide towards the hole in the ice-

“Zuko, no!” But by the time Sokka had cried out for him, Zuko had already plunged into the freezing water after Sakari. 

The freezing water bit into Zuko’s skin, but he swam after the girl. He caught sight of her below him, weighed down by her heavy parka. Zuko tried to grab her hood but it slipped out of his fingers and she sunk even deeper.

Sokka had tried to run out after Zuko, but Kya had gone after him and stopped him before he could reach the hole in the ice. Even though Sokka had stopped struggling, Kya held him tighter and tighter as each agonizing second ticked by. “Zuko,” Sokka wailed, “Zuko! Zuko!”

All of a sudden, there was a thumping noise below them. Sokka and Kya looked at each other for a brief moment, then down at the ice below them. Kya let go of Sokka to rub the ice with her sleeve, and-

Zuko was staring up at her through the ice. One of his hands was pressed against the surface and, as Kya watched, it started to glow orange. “They’re over here! Zuko’s using his firebending to melt through the ice!” Sokka knelt down and started to hack away at the ice with his club. 

After what seemed like an eternity, the ice split open and Zuko surfaced, holding an unconscious Sakari in his arms. Kya pulled the two children out of the water and handed Sakari to her parents. Katara tugged on Sakari’s father’s sleeve and said, “I can help her.”

Sakari’s father laid the little girl down on his lap, and Katara pressed her hands against Sakari’s chest. Katara closed her eyes and her face scrunched up in concentration. A few seconds later, a small stream of water burst out of Sakari’s mouth and she coughed. “Mama? Papa?” 

Zuko let out a sigh of relief when he heard the girl speak, but at his exhale, Kya grabbed him by the shoulders. “What on earth were you thinking, young man?!”

Surprised by the anger in her voice, Zuko responded, “Uh… nothing, I guess?” Had he done something wrong? 

“What do you mean, ‘nothing’? You could have _died_ , Zuko!” Zuko had seen the fear in Kya’s eyes once before- in his own mother’s eyes, the night that he’d left. He glanced to his left, where Katara was staring at him, tears in her eyes. Then he glanced to his right, where Sokka was standing. At the word “died”, Sokka threw his arms around Zuko and sank to his knees, bawling. 

For the first time since he’d left the Fire Nation, Zuko felt like he was surrounded by his family.

[Mai and Ty Lee]

Mai missed Zuko. She didn’t see him very often, but the two of them understood each other. Even though her parents had tried to “fix” it, Mai knew there was something about her that was… different. She thought she was the only one, but then she’d met Zuko, and she knew he was different too. 

Mai sighed and stared down at her food. It was lunch hour at the Royal Fire Academy, and Mai was sitting alone at a small table. Begrudgingly, she started to pick pieces of eggplant out of her rice. 

“MAI!” Ty Lee bounded over to her friend and sat right next to her. “Hi Mai!” Mai flinched, covering her sensitive ears. “Oh, sorry,” Ty Lee said, quieter now. “I forgot you don’t like noise.” Though she wasn’t different like Mai and Zuko, Ty Lee was the only person Mai had met who at least tried to be sensitive- when she wasn’t around Azula, that is. And Ty Lee was _always_ with Azula.

But Azula was in the palace with the rest of her family, mourning the loss of her cousin and brother. It would be a while before she would come back to school, but Mai had no doubt that Azula would be able to catch up. Azula was good at everything, and she was a firebender. No wonder Ty Lee liked Azula more than Mai.

At this thought, Mai frowned and turned back to her rice, but Ty Lee wouldn’t leave her alone. “What’re you doing with your eggplant?”

“I don’t like eggplant.” Mai couldn’t stand the texture of cooked eggplant. She thought the servants should understand that by now, considering how she made a point to separate her eggplant out every time they served rice. Mai scowled, annoyed that they still chose to serve her eggplant, and was starting to plot revenge when another pair of chopsticks dug into her bowl of rice. Mai watched as they searched around for a moment, then retrieved a chunk of the evil purple fruit. 

“I don’t like eggplant either,” Ty Lee said. “Usually I just eat around it. But I can help you take the chunks out. It’ll go faster that way.” Ty Lee smiled, and Mai felt something stir inside her. She would never admit it, but it was nice having Ty Lee’s attention all to herself.

“Yeah,” Mai said, “it will.” And so, the two girls spent the rest of their lunch break chatting (with Ty Lee doing most of the talking) and removing eggplant from their rice.

[Bato and Hakoda]

“I’ve been to every stall in this market three times,” Hakoda groaned, barging into Bato’s room on the ship and dramatically flopping down on the floor. Bato continued to sharpen his whale-tooth knife. “And there’s no waterbending scrolls anywhere.” 

“So what are you going to get Katara, then?”

“I don’t knoooow,” Hakoda whined, making Bato roll his eyes. 

“Well you’d better figure something out. We’ll be leaving soon.” 

“It’s so much easier with Sokka,” Hakoda mused. “I know a lot about being a warrior, but nothing about waterbenders. I even went around the entire South Pole looking for a waterbender to teach her.”

“I remember that.” Bato grabbed Hakoda by the arm and pulled him upright. “Come on, I’m tired of your moping. Let’s go shopping.”

[Iroh]

When Iroh got the news of his nephew’s death, he knew something wasn’t right. Three different messengers had been sent to inform him, all bearing different stories. The first had said that Zuko had fallen into the harbor and drowned. While Iroh was still in shock, another messenger came in with the news that the young prince had been killed in a freak training accident. While the two of them were arguing about the truth, a royal courier had entered, announcing that Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation had been assassinated.

So that was the story the Firelord wanted to be public, then. But out of the three (unlikely) stories, that was the least believable to Iroh. Even if the assassins had managed to sneak over the wall, into the palace, past all the guards and into the royal family’s chambers, why would they target Zuko? The courier had confirmed that no one else in the royal family had been injured. There weren’t even any injured palace guards or servants, either. And most suspicious of all was the fact that _there was no body._

There was something very, very wrong with all of this, but Iroh didn’t know exactly what it was. He’d have to go home to figure that out. But before he set off for the Fire Nation, Iroh sent a messenger hawk bearing a white lotus tile to the city of Omashu. Iroh hadn’t been active in the White Lotus for years, but he had a few favors he could call in. If Zuko was somehow still out there, Iroh knew the White Lotus could find him. 

There may be nothing he could do for Lu Ten now, but there was still a glimmer of hope for Zuko. If there was anything Iroh could do for Zuko, he’d do it, no matter the cost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the late(ish) update! I won’t be doing a monday update this week since I have a final paper due, so i’ll see you on wednesday!
> 
> y’all forget that iroh can sense bullshit ten miles away... underestimatin my guy smh
> 
> BOTH MAI AND ZUKO ARE AUTISTIC!!!!!!!! as an autistic lesbian myself, i stan the hell out of mai. mailee is endgame baby!
> 
> i was gonna write a story about azula and ursa but that got pushed into the next chapter bc the penguin sledding story ended up being. uh. longer than expected
> 
> oh btw i have this story saved in my drafts as finding zuko


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, if you ever see anyone do art or sth of my fic, please please send it it me!! idk i’ve just been seeing a lot of other zukka fic art recently and i realized that unless someone tagged me on tumblr, i’d probably never see art for my fic (if someone actually did some), and that would be the kind of thing that would really make my day

It had been two weeks since Zuko went away, and Mother was still weeping. “Mother,” Azula said, climbing up onto her mother’s bed, “you have to stop crying.”

“Your brother’s dead, Azula,” Ursa said hoarsely. As she stared at her perfectly composed daughter, a surge of white-hot anger rose up inside her. Was Ursa really the only one who cared about Zuko?

“You don’t have to remind me. And I’m only telling you for your own good, anyway.”

Ursa raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Why do you think Grandfather ordered Zuko to be killed? He was weak, and he didn’t even try to hide it. If you keep crying like this, he might come after you next.” At her mother’s glare, Azula crossed her arms defensively and shouted, “Don’t look at me like that, I miss Zuko too! But I don’t wanna be next!” Azula felt tears pricking at her eyes and wiped them furiously.

“Azula.” Ursa suddenly reached out and pulled her daughter into a protective hug. Despite her best efforts, Azula found all the tears she’d been holding back these past two weeks spilling over. “It’ll be okay, Azula,” Ursa whispered, crying along with her daughter. 

“I wan’ Zuzu back,” Azula whimpered. “I’m scared, Mom.”

“Azula, listen to me. I’m not going to let  _ anything  _ happen to you, okay? I won’t let them hurt you, love.” As Ursa continued to reassure Azula, she felt a burning guilt inside of her. She had become so consumed by her own guilt that she couldn’t see that, underneath her tough facade, Azula was suffering too. “I promise you, I’ll protect you.”

~ ~ ~

By dinnertime, Azula had regained her composure and calmly sat next to her father. Everything was going well until Ozai asked, “So what have you been doing in your mother’s room all day?”

Azula froze, her heart hammering in her chest. But before she could think of a lie, Ursa said, “Oh, Azula was just telling me about some of the troubles she’s been having at the Academy. Not with the curriculum, of course, but she’s frustrated with a few of her peers, right, dear?” Ursa looked at Azula with just the slightest hint of a smile.

Clinging onto the lifeline, Azula nodded quickly and said, “Right!”

Ozai frowned. “And why would you not inform me of this?”

Azula shrugged and said, “I didn’t think it was important enough to bother you with. After all, it’s to be expected that these people won’t be as naturally gifted as I am.”

Thankfully, Ozai didn’t care enough to pursue the matter, and dinner continued without a hitch. But in that small interaction, something changed between Azula and her mother. Ursa felt that she understood her daughter better, and Azula felt that, even though Zuko was gone, she wasn’t alone anymore. 

After tucking Azula in, Ursa heard a quiet “Thank you” as she left the room. And for the first time in two weeks, Ursa felt a tiny spark of happiness. She may have lost Zuko, but she swore that she would never lose Azula in the same way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember how i said i wouldn’t post a monday chapter? well, look at me now  
> why did i post a monday chapter when i have a final paper due, you ask? it’s simple, really. i’m procrastinating
> 
> anyway, as i said last time, this was supposed to be a part of last chapter but. here it is
> 
> there’s a big confrontation coming up soon! it’s not next chapter tho, next chapter is bato and hakoda coming back and then zuko learning how to use a boomerang
> 
> thanks for reading!!!!!!!!!


	10. Chapter 10

A large crowd had gathered to welcome back the returning members of the tribe, and Sokka and Katara were right at the front. 

“Dad!” Katara spotted Hakoda first. Running as fast as her little feet could carry her, Katara leapt into her father’s arms. “Dad, look what I can do!” Katara pulled her mittens off and turned to face the ocean. As she raised her arms, a small orb of water rose from the ocean and wobbled its way towards the dock. Katara made it come closer and closer until someone bumped her, making her lose her focus. The bubble immediately fell, coming splashing down directly on top of Sokka.

“Katara!”

“Sorry, Sokka,” Katara said with a giggle. “Oh, Dad, guess what, guess what? I won the penguin sledding race!”

“Wow, really?” Sokka crossed his arms and let out a little  _ hmpf.  _ “Then you really are blessed by Tui and La, then. In fact, Tui came to me last night bearing a gift for you.”

Eyes filled with wonder, Katara whispered, “For  _ me _ ?”

“Yes, my little waterbender.” Hakoda reached into his coat and pulled out a small box, which Katara eagerly opened. “They’re beads made of real moonstone for you to wear in your hair. Legend says that since they are connected to the moon, they strengthen a waterbender’s powers.”

Overhearing this, Kya frowned and nudged Bato. “And how exactly was he able to afford these very rare moonstone beads?”

Bato shrugged and said, “Let’s just say the spooky squid spirit made a reappearance and…  _ persuaded  _ the merchant to part with them.”

Kya rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe you two,” she said, covering her smile with her hand.

“Daaad,” Sokka whined, tugging Hakoda’s sleeve, “what about me? You promised you’d get me something good!”

“Hmmm, did I now? I don’t recall,” Hakoda said thoughtfully. “Bato? Did we get Sokka anything?”

“I’m not sure,” Bato replied smoothly. “But if we did, it must be in this box.” He nudged a small crate with his foot, then jumped out of the way as Sokka leapt on top of it. “I always forget how excitable he is,” Bato muttered as he stood next to Hakoda.

Sokka stared into the box with an expression of pure awe. His small hand wrapped around a beautifully crafted piece of blue metal. “My own boomerang,” he whispered. Then- “MOM! KATARA! I have my own boomerang!” Nearly tackling Hakoda in a hug, Sokka said “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!!”

“Now, where’s Zuko? I have something for him as well.” Hakoda frowned, once again scanning the crowd for the little firebender. 

“Oh, he’s in the igloo,” Sokka explained. “He saved Sakari from drowning earlier, so he’s still a little cold from that. But you shoulda seen the way he used his bending to melt through the ice from underneath!”

“I’m sorry, Zuko did  _ what? _ ”

“He melted the ice with his bare hands while he was underwater!”

“That’s not what I-“ But Sokka was already up, running back to the igloo where Zuko was. Kya pulled her husband aside to explain the events of this morning while Sokka plopped down next to Zuko.

“Hey.”

“Hi Sokka.”

“You feeling any better? I know the cold’s not good for you.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I only spent a couple minutes underwater, so I’m all warmed up now.” At Sokka’s unconvinced look, Zuko made a ball of flame appear in his hand. “See?” With a little grin, Zuko made pieces of the fire shoot up into the air and burst apart, creating a mini firework show in the igloo. Sokka gazed up at the display in awe, then looked back at Zuko.

“Well if you’re feeling good, why didn’t you come out and welcome everyone back?” Zuko shuddered.

“I don’t like crowds,” he admitted. “Too many sounds. Too many people pushing you around.”

“Oh, okay.” Brightly, Sokka added, “Well, my dad got you something from the market!”

As if on cue, Hakoda entered the igloo at that exact moment. “Zuko! Are you alright?!”

“Of course I am,” Zuko snapped, crossing his arms. “Why’s everyone so worried, anyway? I can take care of myself.” He was still wary of Hakoda, but noticeably less so than when he first arrived. 

Noticing his friend’s sudden tension, Sokka nudged him and said, “I know you can, but it was still scary. After you jumped in, every second suddenly seemed like an hour. None of us knew if you’d come back up or not, Zuko.” Zuko frowned down at the floor and thought for a moment.

“...Sorry,” he finally said. He was still a little annoyed that everyone seemed to think he was weak, but he decided to let it go for now. Maybe it was just a Water Tribe thing. “So, Hakoda sir, Sokka said you got me something?”

“Right,” Hakoda said, giving Zuko a small smile. Zuko wouldn’t meet his eyes- but then again, Hakoda had noticed Zuko didn’t often make eye contact with anyone. “It’s hard to be far away from home, even when you have new friends to play with.” Zuko gave a quick nod in agreement. “So I thought I’d give you a little taste of home.” Hakoda reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a jar of mixed spices.

With wide eyes, Zuko slowly reached out and cupped the container in his hands. He carefully opened it and took a hesitant sniff, then let out a small sneeze.

“The merchant said this blend was native to Caldera City, and I remembered that you’re from there. So I thought maybe we could put some on your fish before you eat, or-“ Hakoda was suddenly interrupted by a tight hug from Zuko.

Realizing what he’d done, Zuko quickly jumped back and, with a bright blush, bowed. “Thank you, sir,” he said before sprinting out of the igloo, Sokka hot on his tail. Hakoda simply shook his head and smiled, happy that the firebender was finally starting to come around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sokka has two hands, one for boomerang and another also for boomerang
> 
> OF COURSE I HAD TO BRING THE WATER SPIRIT BACK
> 
> sorry for the short update! my paper was due today and i’m tired. have a nice day


	11. Chapter 11

Despite his military failure, Iroh and his fleet were still welcomed back to the Fire Nation with a parade and a feast. The gathered crowd’s cheers and applause was jarring to him. Lu Ten was dead, Zuko was missing, and the inner wall of Ba Sing Se was still standing. What could they possibly be celebrating?

When Iroh arrived at the palace, his father said, “Now we feast, in honor of the safe return of my son.”

Iroh was certain the food was excellent, but he couldn’t taste any of it. Glancing around at the merry feasters, Iroh felt like he was lost alone at sea. The only one who was in similar spirits was Ursa, and maybe Azula. Ozai also seemed glum, but Iroh suspected it wasn’t from the loss of his son. No, Ozai had never loved Zuko the way he should have- he was probably upset that Iroh had come home safely.

When the feast was finally over, Azulon requested for Iroh to meet him in his private quarters. “Father,” Iroh said with a respectful bow, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Your brother has become an issue,” Azulon said. He’d always been a direct man who was irritated to no end by small talk. “After news of Lu Ten arrived, Ozai suggested that I revoke your birthright.” Honestly, Iroh couldn’t say he was surprised. Ozai had wanted the throne ever since they were children. “The nerve of that child, trying to usurp my firstborn! And after you had just lost your only son!” The torches in the room flared up for a moment until Azulon took a deep breath.

“What happened next?” From Azulon’s reaction, Iroh assumed he had rejected Ozai’s request, but Iroh could tell his father had more to say.

“I gave Ozai a choice; either give up his crown and live in exile, or sacrifice his own firstborn.” Iroh felt like he’d just gotten all the wind knocked out of him, but managed to keep his composure. “He tried to make me reconsider, but I finally commanded him to leave. The next morning, the child was gone.” Azulon grabbed one of Iroh’s shoulders and looked him in the eye. “I never expected him to actually kill his firstborn, especially with so little hesitation. Your brother has no love for his family, and only hungers for power. Be wary of him, Iroh.”

With that, Iroh was dismissed. Before he could even begin to process all of that, Iroh spotted Ursa walking through the hallway towards him. “Princess Ursa, I-“

Ursa pulled Iroh into a quick hug and whispered, “I’m so glad you’re here.” Iroh smiled and hugged her back. Ursa had always been like a little sister to him. “Follow me.” 

She pulled him into a side room and said, “I’m so sorry about Lu Ten. But even though it’s selfish, I- I’m glad there’s someone here who understands. The entire nation seems to have moved on, but Iroh, it’s only been three weeks since Zuko was- was-“

“You don’t have to say it,” Iroh interrupted.

“It was your father who did it, you know that? Firelord Azulon ordered Ozai to get rid of his only son, then got impatient and did the deed himself.” Ursa wiped her eyes with her clenched fists.

Iroh’s eyes widened and he said, “It wasn’t Ozai?”

Ursa blinked. “What? No, that’d be impossible. I brought Ozai into my chambers immediately after he was dismissed by the Firelord. I was with him when we discovered that Zuko was missing.”

“My father is convinced that Ozai is the one who took Zuko’s life,” Iroh said, frowning.

“That’s ‘cause Father’s lying.” Both Ursa and Iroh jumped at the sound of a third voice. Azula was leaning against the doorframe, staring at the two adults. “I saw Father talking to Grandfather about Zuko. He was lying.” Anticipating their next question, Azula added, “When Father lies, his left hand twitches. Whoever did it, it wasn’t Father.”

“And the Firelord is certain it was Ozai?” Iroh nodded at Ursa’s question. Ursa frowned, then asked the question that was on all three of their minds: “So what really happened that night?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DETECTIVE IROH IS ON THE CASE
> 
> i’ve been messing around with the ending, and we will now have a scene where ursa elbows zhao in the face and breaks his nose (along with several other scenes!) what is zhao doing in this story, you might ask? excellent question! i’m not going to tell you yet
> 
> been watching a lot of she-ra lately and i just watched Corridors.... many (zukka) thoughts about the scene where adora’s like “i’m always gonna be your friend”......, hhnnnnngh
> 
> iroh: so lemme get this straight, you told ozai to murder his son  
> azulon: yeah but i didn’t expect him to actually do it tho
> 
> thanks for reading again!!!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We now have an official chapter count for this fic!
> 
> Still want more of this universe? Well, I'm happy to announce that this will be part of a four book series that follows the canon timeline, including a short interlude about Zuko after he gets his scar! Can't wait to see you there!

Slowly but surely, Zuko found his place in the Southern Water Tribe. Though they were hesitant to admit it, the people of the tribe found Zuko’s firebending skills to be very useful. Instead of doing conventional chores, Zuko was responsible for a variety of tasks, such as creating heating fires, speed-drying clothes, and using a quick blast of heat to fuse ice bricks together. 

In the mornings, Hakoda would teach Zuko how to fight like a water tribe warrior alongside Sokka. He was okay with a club, but it took him a few weeks to get confident with a boomerang. Even then, Hakoda and Sokka would often have to duck as it made its way back to Zuko. In return, Zuko would teach Hakoda and Sokka swordfighting techniques. Hakoda was shocked to learn that Zuko had been studying under a master swordsman since the age of three, and that Zuko was all of ten years old. He’d only found that out on Zuko’s birthday, which was about a month and a half after Zuko had arrived.

After training with Hakoda and Sokka, Zuko would spend the afternoon practicing bending with Katara. At first, Zuko had practiced until the sun set, but one day Zuko realized that the sun had, in fact, stopped setting. Katara had shrugged it off, saying that the midnight sun was something that happened every year, but Zuko’s body was completely thrown off. More often than not, Kya would have to trudge outside late at night because Zuko was still out practicing his firebending.

“It’s strange,” Zuko had said to her one night. “Even though it’s so cold here, I think my firebending is better than it ever has been before. And I haven’t been practicing the way my sifus told me to. They always want me to be angry and let that fuel my fire, but I was never really good at that. But now, I’m really happy. Happier than I’ve ever been, I think,” he admitted. He had looked over at Kya, who had a smile on her face. “Isn’t that weird?”

“Not really,” Kya had said with a shake of her head. “Fire can be destructive and dangerous, but we also use it to warm our hands and cook our food. That’s your kind of fire, Zuko- the kind that gives rather than takes.”

Zuko tilted his head quizzically. “How can you be sure?”

“Kanna told me that when you went penguin sledding, you were worried about hurting the otter penguins. Cruelty just isn’t in your nature, Zuko.” She nudged him along and said, “Now come on, little firebender. It’s time for bed.”

“Can you tell me and Sokka that story about Tui and La again?”

“Of course.”

Back in the Fire Nation, Azula was also finding her own place in the world. She and her mother were closer than they had ever been, and Azula was even coming to understand why Zuko liked Uncle Iroh so much. He wasn’t as serious as the other firebending sifus, but he was so much better. He had even mastered the art of bending lightning, something not even her father had done (yet). Also, Uncle seemed to be making more of an effort to understand her than before. Instead of getting her a doll or something girly for her eighth birthday, Iroh taught Azula how to make and control fire daggers. Needless to say, that had been her favorite birthday present.

But, like all good things, this period of peace had to come to an end. And Zuko could pinpoint exactly when it all started to fall apart: the day he was banished from the Southern Water Tribe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally, we get to the main event of this fic! y'all ready for some action?!
> 
> thanks for reading!!!


	13. Chapter 13

The day had started out normal enough, even though Hakoda and most of the other adults had gone off to the market. Zuko and Sokka went out for sword practice (lovingly nicknamed “swordbending” by Sokka) under the supervision of Kya. 

“Oh, what’s the point?!” Sokka let out a frustrated sigh and threw down his sword. “How am I gonna defeat an enemy armed with fire magic with just my sword?”

Zuko sat in the snow next to Sokka and squeezed Sokka’s shoulder tightly. “Hey, don’t think like that. You know, General Iroh, the Dragon of the West, once told me that he feared non-benders more than anyone else. They’re resourceful, smart, and they rely on their wits rather than their bending. You’re-”

“I’m sorry,” Kya interrupted, “you talked to General Iroh?  _ The  _ General Iroh?”

Zuko blinked, then tilted his head at her. “He’s my uncle.”

Kya gaped at him. The uncle Zuko had spoken so fondly of, the man who was a connoisseur of fine teas and a master of pai sho- was  _ General Iroh _ ?! No, it couldn’t be. How could Zuko, this kind, sweet little boy, be related to that monster? But if General Iroh  _ was _ Zuko’s uncle, then that meant-

“Why did you think I was so scared that my grandfather wanted me dead? When the Firelord orders you to be killed, you’re gonna die unless you get out of the Fire Nation.” Kya felt like she was going to faint.

“You’re related to the Firelord?! But isn’t he, like, evil?” Sokka was shouting and frantically waving his hands around.

“Shh, keep your voice down!” Kya looked around to see if anyone else was nearby and could have heard. “This isn’t something we want everyone to know.”

“I thought everyone knew already? Zuko isn’t exactly a common name,” Zuko said, genuinely confused. “And yeah, my grandfather is kind of evil. He wanted my father to kill me, after all.”

With a glance to the side, Kya spotted the ships heading back in to dock. She grabbed one of Zuko and Sokka’s hands and pulled the boys along behind her. “You two stay in the igloo,” she commanded. “I need to talk to Hakoda.”

But as her people got off their boats, Kya noticed that their usual jovial mood upon arriving home was completely gone. In fact, most of them gave her icy glares as she pushed her way through the crowd, looking for Hakoda. She found him sitting on a crate and wiping his eyes as Bato comfortingly held his shoulder.

What Kya didn’t know was that Hakoda and the others had found out about Zuko in their own way. The members of their tribe had been getting ready to depart when an Earth Kingdom merchant had approached them. “Hey, wouldja like some white fabric straight from the Fire Nation? It’s real high quality.”

“Oh? Sounds nice,” Hakoda said politely, not really listening. He was handing some goods up to Bato, who was loading them on the ship. 

“Yeah, the whole Fire Nation was given these white clothes ‘cause they were in mourning a few months back. It’s ‘cause Prince Lu Ten and Prince Zuko died like a week apart.” Hakoda nearly dropped the crate he was holding. “Guess they wanna make sure everyone looks good at a royal funeral.” Upon realizing the entire Southern Water Tribe group was staring at him, the merchant suddenly became defensive. “Hey, I got these fair and square!”

“Do you have any portraits of the princes?” The merchant squirmed under Hakoda’s intense glare and nodded. 

“Yeah, they- they were handing ‘em out for free. So people could make their own shrines to them, y’know?” He was stumbling over his words as he pulled out a few crumpled pieces of paper. “That one’s Lu Ten. And that’s-”

“Zuko,” Hakoda whispered. Sure, it was stylized, but Hakoda could tell that it was his Zuko in the drawing. “Oh, Tui and La.”

The decision was already made by the time they arrived at the South Pole. Hakoda had wanted to stick up for Zuko somehow, but honestly, how could he? He was a  _ prince. _

They couldn’t kill him, no- if word got out, the Fire Nation would have an excuse to destroy the Southern Water Tribe for good, and the tribe refused to stoop so low as to kill a child. Everyone agreed on that.

After a lengthy discussion, they decided to banish Zuko. It was too dangerous to keep him in the village, and even more dangerous to send him back to the Fire Nation. With a heavy heart, Hakoda told Kya of the news.

~ ~ ~

Zuko held Kya’s hand tightly as she led him to the top of a glacier, where a small tent had been set up for him. He didn’t speak- he hadn’t spoken since Hakoda explained the terms of his banishment. Zuko was not to enter the village under any circumstances, and he was not to speak to any of them unless spoken to. As he had left, the icy glares of the others had chilled him to the bone.  _ They’re mad at me. _

Kya was mad, too. Zuko hadn’t seen her angry very often, but he could tell by the crease in her brow that she was fuming. So he stayed quiet, not wanting to make her more angry, and not wanting to break any rules. But he really wanted to ask her something. How would he get her attention?

When they reached the campsite, Kya set down the blankets and scowled. The people who had set up Zuko’s tent had already left, surely fleeing from the ferocious Fire Nation prince. Seriously, what did they think he was going to do? Just because this boy came from the royal family didn’t mean he was evil. To Kya, this was still the same boy who’d woken up next to Sokka in the morning, excitedly taking him out to train with the swords.

She turned to find Zuko sitting up on his knees, raising his hand expectantly. “What… are you doing?”

“Raising my hand, ma’am.” Zuko had figured that was the best way to approach this situation. 

“...Why?”

“Because I have a question. Ma’am,” he added.

“No, I mean- why didn’t you just ask?” Kya stared blankly at Zuko, not understanding his oddly formal behavior all of a sudden.

“Chief Hakoda said I shouldn’t speak to anyone unless they say something to me first, ma-”

“You don’t have to call me that,” Kya interrupted. “And you can talk to me, Zuko. Without me talking to you first. Okay?” Zuko shifted in his place, clearly uncomfortable. Exasperatedly, Kya asked, “What’s wrong with that?”

Zuko looked away before answering. “I don’t want to get in any more trouble,” he mumbled.

Softening a bit, Kya squeezed Zuko’s hand and said, “I promise I won’t tell Hakoda, alright? And even if he finds out,” she added with a grin, “I’ll just challenge him to an arm wrestling match. In all our years of marriage, he’s never beaten me once.” Zuko gave her a small smile in return, but it quickly faded. His face settled into a frown as he looked away again. “What was it you wanted to ask me?”

“What did I do wrong?” Zuko said it so quietly that Kya almost didn’t hear him. “I made everyone else in town mad, and I made you mad, but I don’t understand what I did.”

“Oh, Zuko,” Kya said, cupping his cheek, “I’m not mad at you. I’m just… frustrated with some of the people in the tribe, that’s all.” Zuko leaned into her touch and sighed softly. For a moment, the only sound was the crackling fire Zuko had made, until-

“ZUUUUKOOOOOO!!” Sokka was running towards them at full speed with Hakoda hot on his heels. Not bothering to slow down, Sokka plowed into Zuko, tackling his startled friend to the ground. “Zuko, Zuko! Please say you’re not banished!”

“Uh, you’re not banished?” Zuko was a little confused by the instructions, but Sokka didn’t seem to be listening to him anyway.

“You can’t be banished,” Sokka wailed. “I don’ care if your family’s evil, I know you’re not evil! You’re my best friend!” Not letting go of Zuko, Sokka craned his neck to look at Kya. “Mommy, tell Dad he can’t banish Zuko!” Sokka only called Kya “Mommy” when he really, really wanted something.

“Honey, it’s not your dad’s decision. It’s the tribe’s.” Sokka sniffled and buried his face in Zuko’s shoulder. 

“But it’s not  _ fair, _ ” Sokka protested. “Zuko didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Sokka, listen to me,” Hakoda said, trying his best to maintain a calm tone. “There’s a lot of bitterness between the Fire Nation and our tribe. People on both sides have done bad things.” For Zuko’s sake, he didn’t mention that almost all of the “bad things” he was referring to were war crimes committed by the Fire Nation. 

“The people of our tribe,” he continued, “they see Zuko as a symbol of the Fire Nation and all the bad things they’ve done to us. And I know it’s unfair to Zuko, but that’s how the world works sometimes.” Hakoda sighed. “I hate that you kids had to get dragged into all this.” Genuinely, he did. Their budding friendship had given Hakoda hope that one day, there could be something like peace between his tribe and the Fire Nation. 

“Well, if Zuko’s banished,” Sokka proclaimed suddenly, “then I’m banished too!” Still teary-eyed, Sokka got up and stomped into Zuko’s tent. Hakoda started to say something, but Kya grabbed his shoulder and shook her head. This situation required a mother’s tact.

“Alright. But we need you in the village during the day, Sokka.” When Sokka started to protest, she said, “Don’t worry, you can still be banished and spend the nighttime with Zuko. Okay?”

“Fine,” Sokka said from the tent. Zuko raised his hand again and Kya sighed.

“Yes, Zuko?”

“Thank you. For letting Sokka stay with me, I mean. I’ve never really had friends my age. It’s nice.” Zuko gave both Hakoda and Kya a small bow, then retreated into the tent. He snuggled up close to Sokka, who was already waiting for him in the sleeping bag. “Hey, Sokka?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for staying by my side.” Sokka rolled over to look at Zuko.

“Of course, Zuko. Nothing bad’ll happen to us when we’re together.” As he stared into Sokka’s eyes, Zuko realized just how blue they were. They were like his mom’s turtleduck pond back at home. The thought made Zuko feel safe. “I’m gonna protect you, and you’ll protect me.”

“You promise?” Sokka smiled and offered Zuko his pinky.

“Yeah. I promise.” Zuko took Sokka’s pinky in his own, then smiled. Maybe this banishment wouldn’t be so bad, after all.

~ ~ ~

Zuko didn’t mean to break the rules of his banishment, but he found himself back in the village two days later, on the day of the solstice. He’d been practicing his firebending when he noticed black snow falling from the sky, and when he turned around, he saw Fire Nation ships pulling into the harbor. But when Zuko saw the sea ravens on the ship’s flags, a shock of horror ran through him. That was the symbol of the Southern Raiders, an infamous naval attack force.

Before he knew it, Zuko found himself back in the village, running towards Kya’s igloo. He saw a tall figure about to go inside and impulsively shot fire at him. “Hey,” Zuko shouted, getting his attention.

Of all the things Yon Rha expected to get in his way, a firebending kid wasn’t one of them. In disbelief, he asked, “You’re a firebender?”

Inside the igloo, Kya’s eyes widened. She and Katara were hiding together, and Kya had been certain that a Fire Nation soldier was going to enter, but at the last minute, he’d turned away, distracted by something. It was only when he’d asked that question that she knew exactly what that “something” was.

“Yeah, I am. My name is Prince Zuko! And I order you to leave this place and not hurt anyone!”

Yon Rha laughed without a hint of joy. “Prince Zuko is dead. Whoever you are, you have no authority over me.” He turned back to the igloo, about to go inside, and Zuko knew he had to stop him. Zuko thought about what his father did when his authority was challenged, and before he knew it, the words had slipped out of his mouth. 

“I challenge you to an Agni Kai.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AGNI KAI LET'S GOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE'RE GETTIN READY FOR THE MAIN EVENT Y'ALL
> 
> *DISCLAIMER* this is not how Zuko gets his scar in this au. do with that information what you will
> 
> to end this chapter, i give you a thinly veiled catradora reference and another cliffhanger. to be honest, i was considering just ending the chapter with having the southern raiders coming, but i'm not THAT evil
> 
> me:  
> my inbox the past two days: BANISHED??!??!?!??!?!??!?!?  
> me:  
> me: ... people care about what i'm writing :,)
> 
> oh? the agni kai is on the day of the solstice? now why would i mention that?
> 
> i know i answered y'all's question from the last chapter, but now you probably have even more questions
> 
> main point tho (and this is CRITICAL): kya is not killed by yon rha at this point. will she be? maybe, maybe not. i like her a lot tho. perhaps i've figured out a way for this story to continue similar to canon while having kya survive? haha, just kidding... unless?
> 
> the guy selling (stolen) fire nation goods is a distant relative of cabbage merchant
> 
> thanks for reading!!! if you're screaming bc of this chapter, pls comment so we can scream together!! it'll be a fun group bonding activity


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> since it's august 15 (kagerou day), you are legally required to listen to the song i got the title for this fic from
> 
> original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9g1OyshIX4  
> english cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN9DNB8IwV0  
> my personal favorite cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoOerMh-W4Q

Just as quickly as the soldiers had came, they fled back to their ships. For good measure, Sokka threw his boomerang at the center ship’s hull, satisfied with the dent it made. “Dad, we did it!” Sokka hugged his father, relieved that it was over.

Hakoda, however, knew something was wrong. The ships weren’t leaving. “Sokka, I think you should go find your mother and sister. Make sure they’re okay for me, please.” Sokka nodded and ran back to the village.

A little while after Sokka left, the ship his boomerang had dented opened up its front hatch, revealing a small group of soldiers. One of them was holding a white flag. 

“Attention, members of the Southern Water Tribe,” a man said, stepping out in front. His armor was more intricate than the others, so Hakoda assumed he was their leader. “You are about to have the honor of witnessing an Agni Kai.” What in the world was an Agni Kai? Hakoda glanced over at Bato, who shrugged. The Fire Nation leader sighed. “I should have known. You savages have no sense of the customs of the Fire Nation’s great civilization.”

Hakoda was about to shoot back a scathing remark, but Bato nudged his shoulder. “Wait,” he whispered.

“An Agni Kai,” the commander continued, “is an ancient way to settle legal disputes in the Fire Nation. It is a traditional duel which is fought to the death. The terms of this Agni Kai are simple: if I win, I can destroy your village and your people. If I lose, I will leave you and your people in peace, and I have promised I will never kill any of you.”

“I’ll do it,” Hakoda said. “I‘ll duel you.”

The commander turned to look at Hakoda, his face contorting into a knowing smile. Something about that expression made Hakoda’s skin crawl. “Sorry, but your champion has already been chosen. He was the one who challenged me, not the other way around.” Hakoda knew he was missing a critical piece of information, but he didn’t know what. Why would the commander even bother to accept a one-on-one duel with one of the warriors? What game was he playing?

“Hakoda!” Kya was hurtling across the snow towards her husband with Sokka right behind. Hakoda gave the commander one last glare, then rushed over to his wife.

“What is it? Where’s Katara?” 

“She’s safe,” Kya answered, “but they took Zuko.”

“What?!” Hakoda spun around, furiously facing the commander, but was only met with cruel laughter.

“Oh, there’s something else I should mention,” the commander said lazily. “An Agni Kai is exclusively between firebenders.” Hakoda’s heart dropped to the pit of his stomach.

Yon Rha grinned at the pure fear on the chief’s face, then gestured to his soldiers. They stepped to the side to reveal Zuko, who waved awkwardly. He wore Fire Nation regalia that was much too big for him, making him look even more like a child than usual-

_ “Let him go!” _ Hakoda charged towards the commander, barely being restrained by three of his warriors. 

“Hakoda sir, you can’t interfere,” Zuko called out, alarmed. With a frown, Zuko tugged on Yon Rha’s sleeve. “Excuse me,” he said politely, “may I have a few minutes before the Agni Kai? I want to make sure we’re not interrupted.”

“Of course,” Yon Rha said. Zuko didn’t pick up on the venom in his smile. “Just tell me when you’re ready.”

“Okay! I’ll be right back.” As Zuko walked over to Hakoda, he tied his hair back into a little ponytail.

“Zuko,” Hakoda said, grabbing him by the shoulders. “Zuko, you can’t do this.”

Completely confused, Sokka looked back and forth between his father and his friend. “Can’t do what?”

“I can’t back out now, that’s not how an Agni Kai works.”

“Agni who?” Zuko turned to Sokka at this.

“It’s a firebender duel,” Zuko said simply. “I challenged the commander to one. He was trying to go into your igloo where your mom and Katara were hiding. I was afraid he was going to attack them, so I did the only thing I could think of to stop him.” Turning back to Hakoda, he said, “I’m sorry I went into the village. I saw the warships and I was worried they might hurt you guys.”

“What- I don’t care about that- Zuko, he’s going to kill you!” When Zuko shook his head, Hakoda almost screamed in frustration. 

“Most Agni Kai are fought to the death-“ Zuko started, but was interrupted by Kya.

“You challenged a Fire Nation commander to a duel that’s fought to the death?! Tui and La, what were you thinking?!”

“Hey, you didn’t let me finish!” Zuko crossed his arms and let out a little huff. “What I was  _ going  _ to say was, even though most Agni Kai are fought to the death, all you really have to do is burn the other person to win. Trust me, I’ve studied it. The commander knows it too, you have to take a class about Agni Kai before you join the military.”

Kya looked at Yon Rha, who had murder in his eyes. “Zuko,” she pleaded, “you have to back out of this.”

“I can’t do that. First of all, I’m not a coward-“

“You’re ten years old! He’s had years more training than you,” Kya said desperately. Why couldn’t Zuko understand the weight of this situation? “You’re not being cowardly if you bow out now.”

“Just listen to me!” A burst of orange flames flared out from Zuko’s fists. “If I back out now, then I automatically lose and he gets to attack your people. Sure, you guys could try and fight back, but look at how badly you’re outnumbered!” He gestured back at the ships, which were loaded with soldiers. As much as Hakoda hated to admit it, Zuko was right. “If I win, I can end this, and no one’ll get hurt. Now, if you don’t let me go back over there, I  _ will _ burn you.” To emphasize this, Zuko summoned two fireballs in his hands.

Reluctantly, Hakoda let Zuko’s shoulders go. “Fine,” he said, “but if anything goes wrong, we’re going to get you out of there. No duel is worth you losing your life.”

“Thank you for understanding, Hakoda sir. I won’t let you down.” Hakoda wanted to say that no matter what he did, there was no way that Zuko could let him down. That even though Zuko was related to the Firelord, Hakoda had still grown to love Zuko as if Zuko were his own. But the words caught in his throat, and he ended up saying nothing. Kya, Bato, and the other warriors found themselves in a similar situation. This Fire Nation boy, the grandson of their sworn enemy, was risking his life for their safety even after they banished him from their tribe. 

Of all the people there, only Sokka was able to find his words. “Thank you,” he whispered. “I believe in you, Zuko. Now go kick his butt.”

Zuko gave Sokka a reassuring smile, then strode back over to Yon Rha. “I’m ready now.” At Yon Rha’s signal, his soldiers created walls of fire just above the snow, enclosing the two combatants in a rectangular arena. Zuko and Yon Rha took their places at opposite ends of the arena, facing away from each other. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S KAGEPRO DAY!!!!!!! I'M SO EXCITED
> 
> ha yeah you have to wait until the next chapter to get the agni kai, sorry. can't post a chapter as important as that on kagepro day, as kagepro is my main focus for today. tbh i almost didn't update today bc kagepro is so important to me, but i decided to keep with my schedule
> 
> while some of the water tribe trusts zuko again bc of him being willing to risk his life for them, some of them don't. (and why should they? he's related to the FIRELORD, for tui and la's sake.) fr tho, the water tribe ain't doing anything wrong here with banishing zuko, bc they think it could just be a big trap set up by the firelord to get them to let their guard down so the fire nation can strike. as the audience, we know that zuko is innocent, but for these people who have been constantly terrorized by the fire nation, this could just be another of their tricks. a few of the SWT think that zuko might have even called the southern raiders here somehow. at this point, it'd take the spirits themselves intervening for them to trust zuko again
> 
> the real danger for yon rha is my spellcheck, jfc. i had to go back so many times bc it kept autocorrecting his name to different words. ig spellcheck hates yon rha as much as i do lmao
> 
> anyway, thanks for reading and HAPPY KAGEPRO DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	15. Chapter 15

For a second, Zuko was absolutely terrified. How on earth was he going to win this? As he knelt waiting for the gong to sound, Zuko felt himself starting to panic. He closed his eyes and tried to take deep breaths. Zuko wished for a moment that he was his little sister, who had always been so fearless and so talented.

Latching on to that thought, Zuko tried to imagine what his sister would do in this situation. He remembered a conversation they had a few weeks before he’d gone to the South Pole. Zuko had been complaining about how Azula always seemed to win in practice duels, even if her opponent was more skilled than her.

“It’s not all about bending, Zuko,” she had said. “Sure, it helps to be a good firebender, but I always win because I understand my enemy. If you look close enough, you can find anyone’s weaknesses. Within the first minute of every duel I have, I can find at least five weak points in any opponent. Once you know their weaknesses, all you have to do is use them against your opponent. It’s easy.”

Zuko had never really understood what she’d meant, as he spent every second in a fight either attacking or trying not to die. But now was as good a time as any to try his sister’s technique.

Right away, Zuko noticed how aggressive Yon Rha was. As soon as the gong sounded, Yon Rha was already shooting a barrage of fireballs at Zuko, immediately putting him on the defensive. But something about Yon Rha’s attacks stuck out to Zuko.

_ One,  _ Zuko thought,  _ he always leads with his right. He turns to his left a bit when he strikes, which makes a blind spot behind him. _

Zuko ducked and rolled to the side, then hit a fireball out of the air with a fire whip. As Yon Rha summoned his own fire whip, Zuko saw his flame stutter. When he looked closer at Yon Rha, Zuko noticed that he was shivering.

_ Two, he’s not used to firebending in the cold. I am. _

Yon Rha shot his fire whip at Zuko’s feet, but Zuko was too quick for him, again. 

_ Three, he’s slow. _

Zuko boosted his jump by shooting fire from his feet. Unfortunately, he hadn’t practiced this move very much, and ended up tumbling into Yon Rha’s chest. Before Yon Rha could grab him, Zuko leapt up and tried to hit him with a fire kick, but Yon Rha dodged just in time. He aimed a fireball at Zuko’s face, but Zuko used his bending to change the fireball’s path, sending it back to Yon Rha, who just barely sliced it out of the air.

_ Four, he doesn’t know waterbending techniques like I do.  _

While Yon Rha was recovering, Zuko caught a glimpse of Sokka, Hakoda, and Kya for a split second.

_ Five, he’s only doing this because he wants to hurt people. I’m fighting for my new family. _

At the sight of Sokka, a crazy idea occurred to Zuko, so crazy that it might actually work. Quickly turning back to Yon Rha, Zuko took a second to shape his fire the way he wanted to, then threw it at Yon Rha’s head. Yon Rha flinched as it whizzed past his left ear.

“You missed,” he said incredulously, then smirked as he moved to attack Zuko. Zuko grinned as Yon Rha’s blind spot opened up, then-

Before Yon Rha could strike, Zuko’s fire boomerang hit him square in the back. Yon Rha fell into the snow with a sizable burn clearly visible on his back. 

In disbelief, Zuko said, “I won?” The wall of fire was lowered as the Fire Nation soldiers glanced at each other uncertainly. Zuko looked over at Sokka and grinned, shouting, “I won! I really-”

Several pairs of hands grabbed Zuko roughly from behind and quickly restrained him in specially designed cuffs. Yon Rha stood up and snarled, “You little brat,” then turned towards the Water Tribe warriors. He signaled for his firebenders to attack.

“What- but- you can’t do this,” Zuko sputtered indignantly, “you can’t! I won the Agni Kai!” He tried to melt through his cuffs, but a blast of cold air nearly froze Zuko’s hands solid. “This isn’t fair! I won!”

Yon Rha marched over and grabbed Zuko by the hair, forcing him to make eye contact. “I was only here to kill the waterbender, but now, because of you, they’re all going to die. And you? I’ll kill you last.” Zuko’s eyes widened in horror.

Sokka sprinted as fast as he could through the battlefield towards Zuko. “Hey, you!” Sokka pointed his boomerang at Yon Rha and glared at him. Catching both Zuko and Yon Rha’s attention, Sokka continued, “You’d better let go of him, or else!”

Yon Rha laughed, a sharp, harsh sound. “Sokka, don’t,” Zuko pleaded.

“Or else what, boy?” Yon Rha released Zuko and fire daggers appeared in his hands.

“Come closer and find out,” Sokka said boldly.

Yon Rha lunged towards Sokka, and something snapped inside Zuko. Sheer anger coursed through his veins, but this was unlike the rage that fueled Yon Rha, or Zuko’s sifus, or even Firelord Azulon. Instead of hatred, Zuko’s fury came from protectiveness and the desire to protect the ones he loved.

Perhaps that was why Agni, who had been watching the duel from the spirit world, had decided to bless this little boy with some of his strength. Or maybe the sun spirit had been so angered by Yon Rha breaking the rules of a duel in his name, Agni decided to act. Possibly, Agni could have wanted to protect the people so beloved by his sister spirit, Tui.

A jet of searing flames flew between Yon Rha and Sokka from Zuko’s direction. Sokka turned to thank his friend, but Zuko was nowhere to be found.

Instead, there was a boy who looked an awful lot like Zuko, but was most definitely not him. First of all, Zuko didn’t glow, and this boy was glowing so bright it almost hurt to look at him. His glowing, golden, Zuko-length hair billowed out around him as if he was underwater, and as Sokka watched, the cuffs holding not-Zuko melted like wax. When he opened his eyes, they were as gold as his hair. 

“ _ LEAVE _ ,” Zuko said in a voice that wasn’t his own. The voice shook the earth like thunder, capturing the attention of everyone on the battlefield. Zuko could vaguely see what was happening, but everything had a dreamlike quality to it. He almost felt like he was floating. 

What Zuko didn’t know was that he was actually floating. Hovering a few feet off the ground, Zuko created a solid wall of roaring flames protecting the village.

“What in the world is that?!” The fear in the young soldier’s voice made Yon Rha’s blood boil.

“Shoot him out of the sky,” Yon Rha commanded, “now!” The Fire Nation soldiers shot a barrage of fireballs and spears towards Zuko, who simply took a deep breath in. When he exhaled, seven white-hot beams of fire incinerated the projectiles.

As the soldiers fled to their ships, the half moon caught Agni’s eye. A single beam of moonlight brightened, then wove itself into a familiar shape. “ _ Sister,” _ Agni said, still in Zuko’s body. He gave the moon spirit a respectful bow. “ _ What a pleasure it is to see you in your proper form.” _ Agni looked back at the Fire Nation ships and sighed upon noticing them loading their weapons. “ _ I will take care of this.” _

_ “Please, allow me.”  _ Agni frowned and crossed Zuko’s arms as La appeared, sending the Fire Nation ships far away with a massive wave. Though Agni, Tui, and La were in their own dimension between worlds, all three could still affect the world around them. Agni was the only one who was visible to the humans, due to the fact that he was possessing Zuko.

But upon seeing the giant wave, it was obvious to all of the Water Tribe (except for Sokka, who didn’t believe in spirits) that Tui and La had intervened on their behalf. Everyone knelt on the ground where they stood to thank the spirits for coming to their rescue (except for Sokka, who only knelt because his mother told him to.) Sokka stole a glance up at not-Zuko, who was floating higher and higher. He now appeared to be talking to himself, even though he was making no noise. 

“ _ Oh.  _ You  _ are here, too,”  _ Agni was saying. “ _ The one who stole my precious sister away. Tell me, how is life in the mortal realm?” _

_ “Fulfilling,”  _ Tui replied, “ _ and humbling. You should try it sometime.” _

Agni twisted Zuko’s features into a sneer. “ _ As if I would stoop so low.” _

_ “Bold words from the only one of us inside a human body,”  _ La commented. Agni glared.

_ “I am merely passing through. I normally do not care for the affairs of humans, but one of them insulted my name.”  _ Agni could tell that his presence was starting to take a toll on his human host, so he exited Zuko’s body. The only thing more disgusting than a human body was a dead human body. Besides, Tui had always been fond of humans, and Agni didn’t want to anger her, not on a solstice, one of only two days in a year he could see her. But Agni didn’t want to deal with her insufferable husband, so with a flick of his seven fiery tongues, he was gone.

All of a sudden, Zuko stopped glowing and tumbled out of the sky. With a cry, Sokka leapt forwards, but before he knew it, Zuko was floating again. This time, a silver beam of pure moonlight and a glowing stream of blue water circled each other around Zuko. Sokka told himself it was a trick of the light, not spirits.

But in fact, it was the moon spirit who had caught Zuko.  _ “What a young boy for Agni to possess. And yet, he still breathes,”  _ La said. Both Tui and La knew that Agni’s fiery nature rarely left more than a pile of ashes when he possessed a human.  _ “Why, he is about the same age as that princess you gave life to, is he not?” _

Tui smiled at the mention of her. At the sight of Tui’s smile, La knew he was the luckiest spirit in both realms. “ _ Yes, he is. Hold him for a moment, love.”  _ La did as Tui asked.  _ “Tell me, can you feel that warmth?”  _ Even from between realms, La could feel the heat radiating from the child.  _ “It comes from his heart.” _

_ “He must be very kind.” _

_ “Yes. And brave. He is brave, and scared, so scared. This world has not been kind to him.”  _ Tui looked off to the side as she said,  _ “But it will become even worse for him, far worse, before it becomes better.” _

_ “I hate to see you upset, dearest. Is there anything I may do?” _

Tui gazed lovingly into La’s eyes, then said,  _ “We may not be able to change his fate, but we can help him.” _

~ ~ ~

“Zuko! Zuko, are you okay?!” Zuko woke up to Sokka roughly shaking him. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up, surprised to find himself lying in the snow.

“I’m up, I’m up,” Zuko said, pushing Sokka away. “You’ll give me scrambled brains if you keep doing that.” Remembering the Agni Kai, Zuko jumped up and shouted, “Oh Tui and La, what happened?!”

“Actually,” Hakoda said with a strange tone in his voice, “Tui and La might have been what happened.”

Zuko realized then that there was no sign of the Fire Nation ships, and the entire Water Tribe was staring at him. “Uh,” he said uncomfortably, “what is it? Do I have something on my face?”

“Well- yeah, actually,” Sokka said, “but it’s good! C’mere and look!” Sokka dragged Zuko over to the pier, despite Zuko’s sudden complaints of soreness. When Zuko looked down at his reflection in the water, he gasped. There was a glowing mark on his forehead shaped like a curved line. As he looked closer, he noticed that one side had a blue glow, while the other was as silver as moonlight.

“Oh, my mom’s gonna kill me,” Zuko groaned. “She said I wasn’t allowed to get tattoos!”

“That’s no tattoo, Zuko,” Kya said gently. “That’s the mark of the trusted. It means you’re an honorary member of our tribe.”

“But I thought I was banished?”

“Yeah, you were,” Sokka piped up, “but then the moon and ocean spirits came and gave you the mark of the trusted, so you’re totally one of us!” Zuko gaped at Sokka with his eyes bugged out.

“You mean Tui and La themselves came here?! Man, why am I always asleep when something interesting happens! Did I offend them somehow? I didn’t mean to be asleep, I just passed out after the Agni Kai- oh, did they send the Southern Raiders away? Did they-“

“Zuko,” Kya said, putting her hands on Zuko’s shoulders. “Breathe.”

“Okay.” Zuko took a few deep breaths and allowed Kya to explain everything that had happened, at least from her point of view. By the time she was finished, Zuko’s head was spinning.

“I was possessed by a spirit? Man, that’s weird…” Zuko rubbed his head, trying to process everything he’d just heard. “Hang on a second, I want to try something.” For a moment, Zuko closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. He filled his lungs as much as he could, then opened his eyes and-

“Whoa!” Sokka jumped back as a column of fire erupted out of Zuko’s lips. Zuko seemed just as surprised as Sokka and abruptly closed his mouth, but quickly opened it again as a fireball started to build up inside.

“Sorry! Sorry,” Zuko said once the fire had stopped. “I probably should have thought that through. I was just really excited because my uncle can breathe fire, and it’s really cool when he does it-“

“It’s okay!” Sokka grabbed Zuko’s hands, his eyes alight with happiness. “That’s the second coolest thing I’ve ever seen!”

Zuko frowned and asked, “What’s the first?”

“Fire boomerang, obviously! You never told me you could do that!”

Sheepishly, Zuko looked down at his feet. “That’s because I couldn’t do it. There’s no fire boomerang move in any of the scrolls I’ve studied, I just made it up based on what you and your father taught me.”

Sokka beamed at Zuko and said, “You are the most amazing person I’ve ever met.” Zuko blushed and started to stammer something back, but Sokka happily started pulling Zuko back towards the village. “Come on, let’s eat! I’m starving.”

“But- but- I’m banished,” Zuko managed.

“Nope, not anymore. Anyone who says you’re banished is going against the will of the spirits,” Hakoda said with a warm smile. Zuko allowed himself to smile back.

“Yeah! The spirits think you’re cool. And nobody wants to invoke the wrath of the spirits, right?” Sokka looked around as if he was daring anyone to challenge his statement. When no one did, Sokka grinned smugly. “Come on, Zuko. Let’s go home.”

~ ~ ~

After a hearty dinner, Zuko was snuggled up with Sokka in what had become their shared room again. Zuko was about to fall asleep, but a question was nagging at him. “Hey Sokka,” he whispered, “why were you so insistent that the spirits gave me the mark? I thought you didn’t believe in spirits.”

“I don’t,” was the reply. “But if that’s what’s gonna convince the others to let you stay, then I’ll pretend to believe in the spirits as much as I gotta. G’night, Zuko.”

Zuko smiled as a soft, gentle warmth grew inside of him. “G’night, Sokka.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FIRE  
> BOOMERANG  
> !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> if sokka wasn't in love with zuko before, then he for sure is now lmao
> 
> agni can be kind of a snob but he really loves his sister. he's mad that she gave up her spirit form just to live with a stinkin koi fish
> 
> working on some concept art of agni!zuko, i'll probably put it up on my tumblr this week!
> 
> sorry for the kinda late update, my college decided to cut my financial aid (i have enough emergency savings to cover it, but still. cutting it the DAY BEFORE tuition is due is kinda lame.)


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> by the time i update next, i’ll be 19! my birthday is this friday! (to be honest, i was so excited about kagepro day that i almost forgot about it....)

By the time news of the Agni Kai reached Caldera City, most of the Fire Nation’s military quaked in fear at the mere mention of the South Pole. Nearly everyone had heard stories about the all-powerful deity patrolling the waters of the Southern Seas, one that could control the ocean and harness the power of the sun. A few even thought that the Avatar had returned to wreak havoc on the world.

But whatever it may be, Commander Zhao knew it was no match for him. “Send word to the Firelord that Commander Zhao will handle this mess. Set a course for the South Pole.”

The information came to the royal family in the form of a general named Jeong Jeong. He had requested an audience with the Firelord, the two princes, and Ursa. To be completely honest, Ursa wasn’t sure why she was here. She’d never been invited to anything like this before.

“General,” Azulon greeted him.

“I have news regarding the entity in the South Pole,” Jeong Jeong said, “or rather, the lack thereof. After investigating the crew of the Southern Raiders’ ships, I believe Commander Yon Rha angered the moon and sun spirits on the day of the solstice, when their connection to our world was at its strongest. Had he acted on any other day, Yon Rha would have triumphed.”

Iroh raised an eyebrow and said, “The sun spirit? Agni is not known for meddling in the affairs of humans.” Ozai could barely keep himself from rolling his eyes. Of course Iroh would know some random bit of useless information like that.

“My sources say that Yon Rha was challenged to an Agni Kai, lost, and disrespected the terms of the duel.” Again, Ursa found herself wondering why she was here. Anticipating the next question, Jeong Jeong added, “But it was no mutiny. There was a firebender living among the Water Tribesmen.”

“That’s impossible,” Azulon said, narrowing his eyes. “Who was this firebender?”

With a deep breath, Jeong Jeong replied, “Prince Zuko, sir.”

“What?!” Ursa leapt up, knocking her chair over. She glared at Jeong Jeong with a ferocity he’d only ever seen on the battlefield. Through gritted teeth, she spat, “You’d better not be lying.”

“He claimed to be Prince Zuko, your Highness,” Jeong Jeong said, more than a little intimidated by the Fire Princess. “And the physical descriptions of the suspect matched Prince Zuko’s. Perhaps he somehow survived the assassination attempt and escaped to the South Pole?”

“Zuko…” Ursa closed her eyes, thinking of her young son. If there was any chance that he might be alive, Ursa had to find him. Without hesitation, Ursa announced, “I’ll be on the next ship to the South Pole. If it’s truly Zuko, I’ll know.”

“There’s something else you should know, your Highness,” Jeong Jeong said. His eyebrows knitted together. “Commander Zhao has tasked himself with ridding the South Pole of this nuisance. Even if it truly is Prince Zuko in the South Pole, Zhao may not recognize him, and will not hesitate to strike what he believes to be a threat to the Fire Nation.”

“He is already on his way to the South Pole?” At Jeong Jeong’s nod, Ursa almost swore. 

“Then we will need to leave immediately,” Iroh said. Ursa had almost forgotten he was there. “I will accompany Ursa to the South Pole to defend her. We will take the fastest ship in the Fire Navy.” Azulon nodded in approval, then dismissed the two of them.

“D’you really think Zuko’s alive?” Azula, who had been listening to the whole conversation from outside, excitedly approached her mom and uncle.

“I’m not sure, sweetie, but Uncle Iroh and I are going to find out. We shouldn’t be gone for more than a week. Can you handle being the Fire Princess while I’m gone?” Azula nodded excitedly and Ursa kissed her forehead. “I love you, Azula. I’ll be back soon.”

Once they had departed, Ursa asked Iroh, “Do you think we’ll find him?”

Iroh stared out the window, watching Caldera City disappear into the horizon. “I’m not sure, but this is the only lead we have. I hope we make it in time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yon rha and the other southern raiders didn’t want to admit they got their asses beat by a ten year old so they made up these outlandish stories about what happened. jeong jeong was not impressed
> 
> JEONG JEONG!!!!!
> 
> IROH AND URSA ARE GOING TO THE SOUTH POLE!!!!! but will they make it in time to protect zuko from zhao? since i have three more books planned, i’m sure you can guess the answer, but still, you don’t know how it’s all gonna play out!


	17. Chapter 17

Katara stared pleadingly at Zuko, her expression a mix of confusion, fear, and anger. “I thought you had changed!”

Zuko’s eyes narrowed. “I have changed,” he said, then charged forward to strike.

Just then, Sokka’s snowball hit Zuko square in the back, causing the prince to drop his own snowball. Dramatically, Zuko fell to his knees.

“Curses! I’ve been bested by the ferocious warriors of the Southern Water Tribe! Alack, Alay!” Katara threw another snowball at Zuko’s chest, causing him to act like he’d been stabbed. Katara giggled as Zuko collapsed in the snow, shouting, “O, the Firelord has fallen! Tell my wife and children I love them!” Zuko made a retching sound, twitched a couple of times, then was still. Sokka took the opportunity to throw another snowball at Zuko. Cracking an eye open, he said, “Ow, hey! You’d really throw a snowball at a dead man?”

“You’re the Firelord, you deserve it.”

“Yeah, that’s fair.” Zuko sat up and shook his head, splattering Sokka and Katara with powdered snow. “Can we play another game now? I’m tired of being the bad guy.”

“Well, it’s not like Sokka or I could be the Firelord,” Katara said with a shrug.

“But I have the mark of the trusted,” Zuko whined, gesturing to his forehead. The physical mark had faded about a week ago, but if Zuko concentrated enough, he could make it show up again. It also appeared whenever someone touched his forehead, like Sokka was doing now. 

“Boop,” Sokka said, poking Zuko again and again. 

“Hey, cut it out! Sokka, I mean it!” As Sokka and Zuko collapsed into a pile of giggles, Katara looked up at the sky.

“Um, guys,” Katara said. Her shaking hand pointed upwards, where a cloud of dark smoke had gathered.

“Oh no,” Sokka breathed, putting a protective arm around his sister. The trio ran to the top of the nearest glacier, where they could see Fire Nation ships once again docked at their village.

“You guys stay here!” Zuko hopped on the sled they’d brought with them and started to slide down towards the village, using his firebending to boost the speed.

“Great,” Sokka groaned, “now how are we supposed to get home?”

As Zuko sped down the glacier, he realized he had no way to slow down. So instead of gliding gracefully into the village, Zuko found himself clinging to the sled in terror as he shot past the village walls and into a snowdrift.

Zhao watched, with equal parts amusement and bewilderment, as a fiery blur sped past him and into the snow. At least he’d have no trouble finding the firebender. 

Hakoda was nearly bowled over as Zuko flew past. As soon as he realized who and what the speeding object was, Hakoda couldn’t help but sigh and put a hand to his forehead. For someone who came from a family of military geniuses, Zuko could be pretty stupid sometimes.

Seemingly unfazed by the crash, Zuko jumped out of the snow and shouted, “You shouldn’t have come back here!” When he caught sight of Zhao, he blinked and lowered his fists. “Oh. You’re not who I thought you were.”

“Zuko,” Hakoda said sternly, “stay out of this.”

Zhao laughed harshly. “You’re the legendary South Pole firebender? Honestly, this is just pathetic.”

Clenching his fists, Zuko yelled, “Fight me in an Agni Kai, and I’ll show you who’s pathetic!” Hakoda sighed again. Why did no one listen to him?

“You have no right to challenge me, traitor.” At the word “traitor”, Zuko leaned back, visibly offended.

“Excuse me? I’m no traitor, I’m Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation.” For a reason Zuko didn’t understand, Zhao laughed again.

“Right, and I’m the Avatar,” Zhao replied.

“You’re the Avatar?!” Zhao gave Zuko a withering stare. “Oh. That was sarcasm.” Feeling like a total idiot, Zuko shuffled his feet.

Zhao huffed and crossed his arms. “Even if you were the prince, you’d still be a traitor.”

Before Zuko could reply and say something stupid, Hakoda stepped in. “What did you come here for?”

“Him.” Zhao jabbed a thumb at Zuko and said, “The eradication of the waterbenders was directly ordered by the Firelord, and this boy prevented Commander Yon Rha from completing his mission.” Zuko was suddenly very still. Kneeling down in front of Zuko, Zhao smirked and said, “Little boy, do you know what they do to traitors in the Fire Nation?”

“Kill them.” Zuko’s mouth was dry. “They kill them.” Bato stepped forwards and, with a pointed glare at Zhao, placed a hand protectively on Zuko’s shoulder.

Zhao stood and looked up at Bato. “If you hand over the traitor, no harm will come to you and your people. If you don’t, my soldiers will destroy your village. You have three days to decide.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah the first couple paragraphs are a reference to their lines in crossroads of destiny
> 
> NEXT CHAPTER IS THE ONE WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!! Y'ALL READY TO CRY???? I AM!!!!
> 
> my birthday was pretty good
> 
> zuko you're so dramatic smh


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: attempted kidnapping

Sokka stomped back into the village with Katara in tow, ready to give Zuko a piece of his mind. It had taken the two of them almost three hours to get home without the sled. Sokka was cold, his socks were wet because of Katara’s stupid waterbending, and his feet hurt. But when the siblings walked into their igloo, Zuko was nowhere to be found. Only Kanna was there to greet them.

“Sokka, Katara! Thank the spirits you’re alright,” Kanna said, rushing over to hug her grandchildren. 

“Yeah, sorry it took so long. Mister Fancy Fire Hands ran away with our sled,” Sokka grumbled. 

“Gran Gran, what’s going on? Why are the Fire Nation ships just sitting there?” As Sokka sat down to change his socks, he noticed that the ships were, in fact, still there. They weren’t giving off the black smoke like before, but they still loomed intimidatingly over the village.

“The commander offered us a choice; either to turn Zuko in to them, or have our village destroyed.” Sokka frowned, trying to think.

“Isn’t that a good thing? Zuko will get to go home again and see his mom and uncle.” Even though Sokka knew he should be happy for his friend, he felt a twinge of sadness at the thought of Zuko leaving. Besides Katara, who would Sokka have to play with if Zuko left?

Kanna shook her head gravely. “They don’t believe that Zuko is the prince, they think he is a traitor to his nation. They want to punish Zuko for his supposed treachery.”

“But Zuko didn’t do anything wrong,” Katara protested. “The Fire Nation shouldn’t hurt him.” 

“I know, honey. But the Fire Nation is cruel and uncaring, even to their own people.” Frowning, Katara sat down on Kanna’s lap. “I know it’s not fair, but that’s how the world is sometimes, little one.”

“Where’s Zuko?” Sokka had forgotten all about his anger, and now just wanted to make sure his friend was okay. 

“He’s in the meeting tent with the others. They’re deciding what to do about this whole situation.” Sokka gave a hug to Kanna and Katara, then left the igloo. As he approached the big tent, Sokka thought he saw something move in the snow, and stopped for a moment. He frowned, staring at the spot where he thought he’d seen something, until he heard the howl of a polar bear dog in the distance.

“Eek!” Sokka rushed inside at the sound, bumping into Bato in his hurry. “Oh, sorry. Hey, you guys aren’t gonna let them take Zuko away, right?” He tried to make his question sound casual, but Bato could tell Sokka was worried. 

“Don’t worry, Sokka, he’s one of us. We’re not going to give up on him.” He smiled up at Bato gratefully, and Bato ruffled Sokka’s hair. “Why don’t you go talk to him? I’m sure Zuko would enjoy your company.” He pointed to a corner of the tent where Zuko was sitting. His fists were clenched by his sides and he was dreadfully pale. Sokka hated to see his friend in this state, and pushed his way through the crowd of adults to get to him.

“Hi, Zuko,” Sokka said, plopping down next to the prince. “That thing you did with the sled was pretty cool. I’ve never seen it go that fast.”

“They’re going to kill me,” Zuko muttered. 

Sokka nudged Zuko’s shoulder and said, “Don’t talk like that. Hey, Zuko, look at me.”

Zuko stared up at Sokka with fearful eyes. “I disobeyed a direct order from the Firelord. That’s treason. The punishment for treason is death. They’re going to kill me.” Starting to rock back and forth, Zuko mumbled, “Azula always lies, Azula always lies, Azula always lies…”

“Come on, Zuko,” Sokka pleaded, growing desperate, “snap out of it. How about we play a game?” Zuko was still rocking in place, but he looked up at Sokka again and stopped talking to himself. “Yeah, let’s play. Okay, you’ll be the prince, and I’ll be your bodyguard. Actually, all of us in the tent are your bodyguards, but I’m your favorite ‘cause I have the best jokes.” At this, Zuko gave him a small smile, so Sokka kept going. “See? I’m the only one who made you smile.”

“Yeah,” Zuko said with a nod. This was good, Zuko was talking to him normally now. Sokka knew that meant Zuko was coming out of his panicked state. His eyes were slowly becoming calmer, and Sokka noticed Zuko’s shoulders starting to relax. 

“Those guys out there are evil spirits. But you know what? I don’t believe in spirits, so I’m immune to them and their evil magic!” Sokka puffed his chest out and put his hands on his hips. Then he turned back to Zuko and gave him an exaggerated bow. “Don’t worry, my prince. I shall protect you with my mighty boomerang.”

Zuko giggled a bit and said, “Why thank you, my honorable guard. But maybe you should be protecting yourself.”

Sokka looked around urgently, boomerang at the ready. “From what, my prince?”

“From me!” Zuko tackled Sokka to the ground and said, “All along, I’ve been the evil spirit! Mwahahaha!”

“Oh no! I’ve been betrayed!” Sokka and Zuko continued to play fight until Sokka pushed Zuko through one of the tent’s walls. As it swung back into place, Sokka braced himself for Zuko to come plowing right back through, but he didn’t. “Heh, I didn’t know evil spirits gave up so easily,” Sokka taunted, expecting Zuko to come charging in at that. 

But he didn’t. Sokka frowned and went to the front of the tent to see if Zuko had gone around for a sneak attack, but his firebender friend was nowhere to be seen. Could Zuko have hit his head when he tumbled outside? Sokka peeked around the back of the tent, hoping to spot Zuko lying on the ground outside.

Instead, he saw Zuko being dragged away by six men in white. He looked like he was trying to struggle, but his hands and feet were cuffed and there was a metal gag covering his mouth. Zuko caught sight of Sokka and his eyes widened pleadingly as he was pulled behind a pile of snow.

With a heightened sense of urgency, Sokka leapt back into the tent and screamed, “Dad! Dad!” Once he had Hakoda’s attention, Sokka wailed, “They took Zuko!” Immediately, Hakoda was on his feet with a spear in his hand. “They chained him up and put a muzzle on him and- and-“ 

Hakoda grabbed him by the shoulders. “ _ Where?” _ Sokka pointed and ran towards the snow where he’d last seen Zuko, but the sight of a huge bolt of lightning stopped him in his tracks. Lightning was rare this far south, so rare that Sokka had only seen a thunderstorm once in his life. 

But Sokka only stopped for a few seconds before running over the hill of snow. Zuko was being carried away by a man with ridiculous sideburns. All of his other attackers were now preoccupied with someone else, but Sokka’s focus was entirely on Zuko. He threw his boomerang so it hit Commander Sideburns, who dropped Zuko at the sudden impact.

Zuko was left lying in the snow on his side. He was startled by the sudden crack of thunder, but completely forgot about it when he noticed Sokka coming towards him. “Zuko! Zuko, you’re okay!” Sokka pulled Zuko into a sitting position and asked, “You’re not hurt, are you?” 

Zuko shook his head, and Sokka let out a sigh of relief. He fiddled with the contraption over Zuko’s face until it came loose. “Thanks,” Zuko gasped. Sokka nodded and grinned.

“See, I told you I’d protect you.” Zuko smiled back, but a look of horror crept over him.

“Sokka, duck!” Before he could even think about it, Sokka dove to the side, narrowly missing a blast of fire. Commander Sideburns was glowering down at him and Zuko, wielding a fireball in his fist. “Please, stop this! I’m Prince Zuko, I swear!” Sokka reached for his boomerang, but realized it was lying in the snow behind Commander Sideburns. “You have to believe me,” Zuko begged. Commander Sideburns raised one of his hands, and the fireball grew brighter. With tears in his eyes, Sokka clung to Zuko tightly, refusing to leave his best friend behind.

Before Zhao could release his fire, he felt a series of sudden jabs coming from behind him. Annoyed, he turned around to try and attack, but he found himself suddenly unable to firebend. “What-“

Zhao’s attacker leapt towards him and elbowed him in the face with enough force to split steel. Completely amazed, Zuko and Sokka watched as Zhao fell to the ground, holding his face in pain. As the stranger turned towards them, Sokka held Zuko even tighter and defiantly yelled, “I won’t let you hurt Zuko!” But when Zuko saw who was in front of them, his eyes widened and he gasped.

With a voice that was little more than a whisper, Zuko said, “Mom?”

When Ursa looked down at who she knew was her lost son, she let out a sob. Trembling, she knelt down next to him, trying to release him from those awful restraints with her shaking hands. Sokka, who had let Zuko go in surprise when he’d gasped, handed her the keys he’d just taken from Zhao. “Zuko. My Zuko,” she said, voice cracking. “You’re really here? You’re alive?”

“Mom,” Zuko said, starting to cry, “Mom!” Ursa freed Zuko from the last of his restraints and he practically leapt into her arms. The winter coat she was wearing was nice and soft, and she was wearing that fire lily perfume that Zuko liked.

“I’m here, baby, I’m here,” Ursa whispered, rubbing circles into Zuko’s back. “You’re safe now, love. Mommy’s got you.”

They stayed locked in this position for a while, until Zuko finally pulled away. “Oh, wait, I’m being rude. Sokka, this is my mom. Mom, this is Sokka, my best friend.” Ursa smiled at the little water tribe boy, who gave her an awkward wave in return. 

“Ursa? Ursa, where are you?” Zuko’s ears perked up at the familiar voice.

“Wait, is that-“

“Iroh, I’m over here!” Zuko’s face lit up as his uncle appeared on top of the snowdrift.

“Uncle Iroh!” At the sight of his nephew grinning from ear to ear in his mother’s arms, safe and sound, Iroh felt tears forming in his eyes. He rushed over to them and joined the hug.

“Zuko, I’m so glad you are safe,” Iroh murmured, tears spilling out of his eyes. 

“I missed you, Uncle.” With one arm around his mother and the other around his uncle, Zuko closed his eyes and let himself relax. At last, he was found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY FOUND THE BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> next chapter is probably gonna be the longest one tbh, and i might post it late bc school is starting on the 25th
> 
> ursa can chi block!! that's gonna be explained in the next chapter
> 
> y'all really thought i was gonna have zhao burn zuko? nah fam that ain't it. although, this IS the start of a grudge that zhao holds against zuko for years which will come into play later in the series
> 
> i've known how this was going to play out since the beginning, why am i still crying over the fact that they found him
> 
> *thinks about that hug at the end* *starts crying* i am... weak......,  
> *thinks about how sokka stayed with zuko even when zhao was about to kill him with fire* *cries harder*
> 
> i have... MANY feelings.......,.,.. pls talk to me in the comments about feelings..,., 
> 
> thanks for reading <3 <3 <3


	19. Chapter 19

Hakoda had gone to take out the Fire Nation troops, but was shocked to see that someone had beaten him to it. The kidnappers were facing another firebender, but Hakoda could see they were easily outclassed. Mesmerized, Hakoda watched as the other firebender took out all five of the soldiers with a huge blast of lightning. Not wanting to be next, Hakoda ducked behind a large pile of snow and waited.

A wave of soldiers rushed out to confront the lightningbender, but a few of the higher ranking ones stopped and bowed when they caught sight of the man. They exchanged a few words that Hakoda was too far away to hear, then the soldiers went back on their ship, carrying the wounded with them.

The lightningbender took a few steps around, called out, then turned when a voice responded to him. He disappeared over a snowdrift and Hakoda carefully followed him. 

Before he could confront him, though, Hakoda bumped into Sokka, who had just gone to retrieve his boomerang. “Hey dad.”

“Sokka! I thought I told you to stay in the tent,” Hakoda hissed, pulling Sokka behind him.

“No, you didn’t,” Sokka whined loudly. Almost as soon as Sokka said that, the lightningbender reappeared on top of the snowdrift with a ball of fire at the ready.

Narrowing his eyes, Hakoda raised his spear and said, “Where is he?”

Zuko’s head popped up from behind the snowdrift, and Hakoda instantly felt a wave of relief. “Hakoda! I see you met my uncle already,” Zuko said with a grin. He tugged on Iroh’s robe and explained, “That’s Hakoda. He’s like Father, but he’s actually nice. He’s been taking care of me while I’ve been here.” 

“So you’re Zuko’s uncle?” Sokka approached Zuko and his uncle, despite Hakoda mentally urging him not to. Hakoda wanted his son as far away from the Dragon of the West as possible, but Sokka didn’t seem intimidated at all by him. “I’ve heard you’re really good at pai sho.”

Before Iroh could respond, a woman’s voice screamed, “HAKODA!” All four of them flinched, then turned to see Kya storming towards them. Kya grabbed her husband by the front of his coat and started shaking him. “How could you let this happen?! You were supposed to be watching him!” Oblivious to Iroh’s presence, Kya gestured for Zuko to come over to her, then picked him up. Suddenly calm, Kya said, “Zuko, honey, don’t worry, I’m not mad at you. I’m just glad you’re safe.” She kissed Zuko’s forehead, then glared at Hakoda.

“Kya, it all happened so fast, one minute Sokka and Zuko were playing, then the next, Sokka was crying out for me-“

“You should have been paying more attention!” Kya’s voice was growing higher, and she sounded almost hysterical. She held Zuko tighter and said, “Hakoda, he could’ve been seriously hurt, or worse-“

“Excuse me,” Ursa said, crossing her arms. She had just climbed up the snowdrift to join her son, but found him in a stranger’s arms. “Who are you, and what are you doing with my son?”

Kya looked over at the woman speaking, surprised, but could immediately see the family resemblance between her and Zuko. “You’re Fire Princess Ursa?” Then, narrowing her eyes, Kya held Zuko closer. “Why would you send those men to kidnap Zuko, then?”

Ursa bristled. “How dare you suggest that! You and your people are the ones who kidnapped him,” she growled, staring at Kya with fire in her eyes. 

“We’ve been protecting him,” Kya shot back, “not keeping him prisoner! Zuko said the Firelord wanted him dead! Why would you send your commander to kidnap him and bring him back to the Fire Nation if it’d put him in that much danger?!”

“I didn’t send him, I came to stop him from hurting Zuko!”

“Stop it, both of you!” Sokka jumped between the two women, surprising everyone. “Can’t you see what you’re doing to Zuko?!” 

Zuko’s hands were pressed over his ears and his eyes were squeezed shut. Feeling guilty, Kya set the boy down and he immediately ran over to Sokka, who put his own hands over Zuko’s ears. As Sokka took a moment to reassure Zuko, the moms looked at each other and muttered sheepish apologies. Hakoda and Iroh, who both knew better than to try and calm the two women down while they were arguing, exchanged an awkward handshake.

“Zuko’s had a rough day, what with being kidnapped and everything, and your arguing isn’t helping him. And it isn’t helping us, either. Think about it- none of us know the full story.” Gazing over at Iroh and Ursa, Sokka said, “You two don’t know what happened to Zuko after he left the Fire Nation, and none of us know what happened to you while he was gone. So how about we exchange stories? Then maybe we won’t need to fight at all.”

“That’s an excellent idea, Sokka,” Hakoda said, welling up with pride. Someday, Sokka was going to be a great leader. Sokka glowed at his father’s praise.

Sokka felt a nudge from Zuko and blinked. “I’m forgetting something?” Zuko nodded towards the snowdrift and Sokka said, “Oh, right. Hey, Miss Fire Princess, you said you didn’t send Commander Sideburns to get Zuko, right?” Iroh let out a chuckle at the nickname for Zhao.

Barely suppressing a laugh of her own, Ursa replied, “No, I didn’t. Iroh and I heard rumors of a firebender in the South Pole who claimed to be Zuko, and we came to investigate for ourselves. Commander Zhao, however, came to the South Pole seeking to eliminate the firebender and claim glory for himself.” Bitterly, Ursa added, “Although, I fail to see how trying to hurt a child brings glory.”

As if on cue, Zhao climbed over the snowdrift. His eyes met Zuko’s and he hissed, “You brat, when I’m through with you-“ Suddenly, Zhao spotted Iroh and froze, then fell to his knees. “General Iroh,” he coughed, giving him a bow. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to rescue Prince Zuko from the Water Tribe, but it seems he was in more danger from someone else.” Zhao looked incredulously between Iroh and Zuko for a moment.

“You honestly think this traitor is Prince Zuko? He’s lying through his teeth-“

“Are you questioning General Iroh’s ability to identify his own nephew?” Ursa smoothly strode over to Zhao, planting herself directly in front of him. “Well, it’s a good thing I’m here, then. If anybody would be able to recognize Prince Zuko, it would be his own mother.”

Zhao gulped, realizing that the woman who’d attacked him earlier was Fire Princess Ursa. “My apologies, your Highness,” he said quickly. “I didn’t realize who he was.”

“Really? ‘Cause he tried to tell you when you were about to kill us with your fire,” Sokka provided. Zhao shot a furious look at the little Water Tribe boy, but rapidly turned back to Ursa.

“You accuse my son of being a traitor, yet you are the one who almost murdered a member of the royal family.” Ursa’s voice was eerily calm. “I believe,  _ Commander, _ that makes you the traitor.”

“I’m sorry, your Highness,” Zhao said, falling to his knees in a bow. “Please, let me make it up to you. Allow me to escort you back to the Fire Nation.”

“Iroh and I will be staying in the South Pole for a few days to negotiate with these people,” she said.

“Then let me and my men stay and guard you. We can-“

“I think you’ve done enough.” Although it wasn’t directed at them, the ice in Ursa’s voice made Hakoda and Iroh flinch. Kya, meanwhile, was growing to respect this woman. “If you really want to make it up to me, then leave. I never want to see your face again, do you understand?” Zhao nodded as if his head was being pulled up and down on a string. He started to retreat back to his ships, but Ursa called out, “And Zhao?”

Zhao stopped like he’d been grabbed by the back of his shirt, then spun around to face Ursa with posture as straight as an arrow. “Yes, your Highness?”

“If I ever hear you’ve messed with one of my children again, I will punish you so severely that Avatar Kyoshi will seem like a harmless turtleduck compared to me.” Zhao paled, gulped, nodded and, with a stiff salute, ran the rest of the way to his ships.

Soon, Zhao’s fleet was nothing more than a smudge of black smoke on the horizon. “Thank you, Miss Fire Princess,” Sokka said. “Commander Sideburns was a real jerk. See, he told us we had three days to decide if we’d give Zuko to him, and if we didn’t, he said he’d burn our whole village. Then just a few hours after he’d come, Commander Sideburns tried to take Zuko away.”

Iroh couldn’t say he was surprised. It would be regarded by the Fire Nation as an excellent tactical move, though most of the generals (including Iroh himself) would find it dishonorable. But more and more since Lu Ten perished in battle, Iroh was realizing just how cruel war was.

War didn’t care if you were right or wrong, innocent or guilty- it took from everyone, leaving nothing behind. Generals hid in their tents and war rooms while young soldiers died on the front line- and for what? Honor? To spread the Fire Nation’s ideals? Whatever the reason, too many young people ended up dead, fighting the rich man’s war up until their dying breath. Too many children went off to war, never to return. Too many parents suffered the loss of a child.

And that was only in the Fire Nation. As Iroh looked at the tiny encampment of tents and igloos, he wondered how many times the Fire Nation had terrorized these people, how many sons and daughters had been killed at the hands of his nation’s soldiers. He and Ursa were led into the village by Zuko and the Water Tribe family, and when Iroh looked into their eyes, he didn’t see the angry savages that other generals described. Instead, he saw weary, worn-down people, exhausted from almost a hundred years of war. Even the man who’d raised his spear at Iroh had seemed to do so in defense, rather than to attack for no reason. 

The six of them went into Hakoda and Kya’s igloo, and the whole story came spilling out of Zuko. He told Ursa and Iroh everything that had happened since the night he ran away, with Sokka filling in details from time to time. Occasionally, Katara would poke her head through the doorway and mention something the boys had forgotten, and eventually sat down in Hakoda’s lap. Ursa and Iroh shared everything they’d said and done, but once they finished, there was a burning, unspoken question between the adults: now what?

“General Iroh, Zuko says you’re quite the pai sho player,” Kya said, glancing over at the older man. “Would you mind playing a couple rounds with the kids while we keep talking for a bit?”

“Of course,” Iroh replied, immediately understanding her request. The three kids cheered and ran to get their coats, wanting to play at the big community pai sho table in a nearby tent.

“I don’t mean to exclude you, but they always try to eavesdrop, and I think this should be a private conversation,” Kya murmured, shrugging.

“I understand completely. The whole reason we are in this situation is a young eavesdropping princess,” Iroh replied with a smile. The children quickly pulled Iroh out of the igloo, leaving only Kya, Hakoda, and Ursa.

“I cannot thank you enough for what you’ve done for my son,” Ursa said quietly, tears pooling in her eyes. “You saved his life, and even when you found out who he was, you protected him. You protected him when I couldn’t.”

Kya took one of Ursa’s hands and held it with both of her own, giving it a tight squeeze. “It’s what any parent would do.”

Ursa laughed mirthlessly. “Not Zuko’s father. Almost as soon as Zuko opened his eyes, Ozai wanted him to be thrown over the palace walls because he thought Zuko was a nonbender. He would rather his infant son be dead than be a nonbender. I had to beg for Zuko’s life, and Ozai only listened when I got the Fire Sages involved.”

“Tui and La,” Kya muttered, absolutely horrified. 

Hakoda was in similar spirits, but managed to say, “So Zuko wasn’t exaggerating when he said his father wanted to kill him.” His mouth was bone dry. “Tui and La, that’s…” Hakoda couldn’t find a word strong enough to express how awful that was. He couldn’t imagine anything crueler that a parent could do to a child.

“Zuko and Azula are all I have left,” Ursa said in a hollow voice. Her shoulders slumped forwards. “I haven’t been permitted to see my family since Ozai married me. I hardly even remember what my village looks like.”

“Village?” Kya cringed at the tone of her own voice, then said, “I mean, I just assumed the Firelord’s son would marry someone of more, er, noble origins.” Giving up, Kya sighed. “Sorry.”

The tips of Ursa’s mouth quirked upwards. “The Fire Nation nobles thought so too, and they weren’t shy about letting me know. They had less kind ways of saying it, too. But I have something they don’t- the Avatar’s blood running through my veins.”

“You- you’re the Avatar?!”

“What? No, no, the last known Avatar was my grandfather.” 

“Oh.” Feeling foolish, Kya remembered now that the last Avatar had been from the Fire Nation, and he’d lived over a hundred years ago. “Avatar… Roku, right?” Ursa nodded in confirmation. “So Zuko is the combination of two bloodlines, then. The Avatar’s and the Firelord’s.”

“No wonder he’s such a talented bender,” Hakoda mused. “I’ve faced a lot of firebenders in my life, but Zuko’s really something else. He’s clumsy and gets impatient, but when he’s focused, Zuko can do anything.”

“I wish his father would tell him that,” Ursa said with a sigh. “Zuko has always wanted his dad to be proud of him, but nothing he can do will ever be enough for Ozai.” 

“You could stay here,” Kya blurted out. Both Ursa and Hakoda stared at her. “Fake your own death and make a new life down here.”

“...What?” The statement was so sudden and unexpected that Ursa thought she imagined it.

“You’re obviously not happy in the Fire Nation, and Zuko’s not even safe there. They won’t find you here. The only reason they found Zuko out was because he firebent at them.” 

“I- I can’t just leave Azula,” Ursa protested. It was an impossible idea, and yet, Ursa found herself imagining what her life could be like, living in the South Pole with her children. 

“We can figure out some way to bring her here, too.”

“Kya, I’m not so sure about this,” Hakoda warned. He wanted to help this woman, but he was already getting a headache trying to think of the logistics of this plan. Kya, however, was filled with a sudden compassion for Ursa and was about to argue with Hakoda, but was interrupted by a loud complaint from outside.

“Using the white lotus tile is cheating,” Sokka whined as he stepped into the igloo with Katara. Iroh followed behind, carrying a sleeping Zuko in his arms. 

With a grin, Iroh countered, “Then why is it a part of the game?” Sokka crossed his arms and stuck his tongue out, then begrudgingly led Iroh to his sleeping bag. Iroh gently set Zuko down inside, then turned to the adults. “He fell asleep at the pai sho table, so we figured it was time for bed.”

“Yeah,” Katara yawned, “it’s been a long day. Dad, can you come tuck me in?”

“Of course, sweetie. I think all of us should get some rest,” Hakoda said with a glance at Ursa and Iroh. 

“He’s right,” Iroh said to Ursa. “I know you haven’t slept since we departed.” As Ursa gazed at Zuko, who was being cuddled by Sokka, Iroh added, “He will be safe here.”

“We’ll take care of him,” Kya reassured her. “Go get some sleep, and… just think about what I said, okay?”

“But...” Ursa trailed off as she saw Zuko, still asleep, turn over and wrap his arms around Sokka. She sighed in defeat. Careful not to step too loudly, Ursa made her way over to the sleeping bag and lightly kissed Zuko’s forehead. “Good night, baby,” she whispered, gently stroking Zuko’s hair. “I love you so, so much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HA! IT'S STILL WEDNESDAY HERE! I PUT THE UPDATE OUT ON TIME (even tho i had to thanos snap this chapter)! tbh, even if i wasn't running out of time, i would've had to snap the chapter anyway, it just ended up being too much content for one chapter. yay for author's poor planning skills?
> 
> y'all read the latest chapter of the art of burning? bc damn, that kinda broke me. dadkoda ftw
> 
> GOODBYE ZHAO NOBODY IS GOING TO MISS YOU
> 
> can i just say how proud i am of sokka? the moms are fighting bc they're both trying to protect zuko, hakoda and iroh don't wanna get involved with that mess, but then sokka sees that it's upsetting zuko and goes in to help his friend. not only that, but he helps get everyone in a room to talk peacefully before the fists start flying. sokka honey you're amazing
> 
> >he's like father but actually nice  
> zuko we all knew that but damn why you gotta say it like that
> 
> >hakoda couldn't imagine anything crueler that a parent could do to a child  
> just wait three years, hakoda, then you'll see
> 
> URSA AIN'T GONNA JUST LEAVE AZULA LIKE THAT
> 
> in the short time that they were in the other tent, iroh won three games of pai sho against the kids. he would've gone easy (but still won), but sokka was bragging about how good he was at pai sho so iroh was like i'm gonna end this man's entire career
> 
> thanks for reading!!! <3 <3 <3


	20. Chapter 20

Ursa would come to remember the next few days as some of the best of her life- certainly since she’d become Fire Princess, at least. Despite her best efforts, she found herself telling Kya everything she had kept pent up these past eleven years. Something about Kya put Ursa at ease, and she was so easy to talk to. Ursa was amazed by how kind these people were, despite the fact that she was from the Fire Nation. They even warmed up to Iroh, though it took them a couple of days.

“It’s not because of him,” Kya’s husband, Hakoda, had explained to Ursa. “He can act like a kindly old man all he wants, but we all know of the Dragon of the West.”

“So why are you letting him stay here, then?”

“Zuko,” he said simply.

And it was true. The entire tribe absolutely adored Zuko, and Zuko adored his uncle. Any trust these people had for Iroh came from her son, Ursa realized.

As for the young prince, Ursa had never seen him so happy. Zuko proudly demonstrated the new skills he’d learned from the tribe to his family, excitedly showing them how he could now fish, use a boomerang, and more. He had just been explaining some of the nuances of igloo building to Ursa and Iroh when a snowball hit him in the back. “Oh no, an attack is being launched! Don’t worry, guys, I’ll protect you!” Sokka jumped out from behind an igloo, wearing a too-large wooden helmet, armed with two more snowballs. Zuko made his own snowball and shouted, “Villain! What do you want?!”

“My name is Yon Rha,” Sokka proclaimed in a ridiculous voice, “and I want to steal all of the snow from the South Pole! Mwahahaha!”

“You can’t do that,” Zuko cried. “The people here depend on the snow! It’s a part of their life!”

“Well too bad! I want it as a part of  _ my _ life, so I can use it to freeze meat and store it for later!”

At this, Katara ran over to Zuko and hugged his arm. “Zuko, we can’t let this evil man do this to us!”

I’m taking the snow, and you can’t stop me and my fierce warriors!” A few of the younger kids followed behind Sokka, wearing similar helmets and also holding snowballs. “It’s over! Surrender!”

Kya, who had been watching the whole scene unfold with an amused expression, decided to chime in. “Oh no,” she said in mock distress, “whatever will we do?” She turned to Hakoda and said, “If we have no more snow, then we won’t be able to make igloos anymore.”

“Or go sledding,” Hakoda said woefully. “My, my. What a terrible situation we’re in.”

Zuko marched up to Sokka, looking him right in the eye. Stubbornly, he said, “I won’t let you do this!”

“Then me and my soldiers challenge you to a Snowball Kai!” Sokka and the others unleashed a barrage of snowballs on Zuko and Katara, who tried their best to retaliate. But there were too many foes, and the two of them soon found their backs up against a wall. 

“It’s been an honor fighting with you,” Zuko said sincerely, looking at Katara. Her expression was solemn. 

“Mwahahaha! The snow will be mine, and there’s nothing you can do to-” A snowball hit the side of Sokka’s face and he gasped. “Wha- what is this?! Mutiny?!” He scanned his ranks for the soldier who betrayed him, but instead saw Kya grinning at him, tossing a snowball up and down in her hand. Hakoda and Bato stood with her, holding their own snowballs. “Mom? Dad?”

“No, we are the moon and ocean spirits,” Kya proclaimed. Pointing an accusing finger at Sokka, she said, “You have invoked our wrath!”

Sokka frowned and looked at Bato. “If you’re the moon and ocean spirit, then who are you?”

“The octopus spirit,” he said, not missing a beat. “I side with the moon and ocean spirit.”

“Well, what are we waiting for, spirits? Let’s take care of these nasty invaders!” The snowball fight started up again with even more excitement than before, and Ursa and Iroh scrambled to avoid getting hit, but it was too late. Little Katara saw a flash of red out of the corner of her eye and hurled her snowball as hard as she could, hitting Ursa in the back of the head.

“Ouch!” Just like that, the snowball fight stopped as if everyone was holding their breath. Katara, realizing what she had done, looked down at her feet in shame. 

“I’m sorry, Miss Fire Princess Ursa,” she mumbled. “I didn’t mean to hit you.”

With a deadpan expression, the princess replied, “Who is this ‘Ursa’ you speak of? I am the guardian spirit of turtleducks, and you have just angered me.” 

The first one to realize what was happening was Sokka. With a huge grin, he cheered, “She’s on our side!” The little kids cheered and pulled Ursa behind a snowdrift to talk strategy with her. Zuko pouted, then glared at Katara.

“Why’d you have to hit my mom?”

“I didn’t mean to!”

“Don’t worry, Katara, you still have the ocean, moon, and octopus spirits on your side,” Bato said reassuringly.

“The dragon spirit is also willing to lend his services,” Iroh said, crouching down besides Katara. Zuko beamed at him, but Katara was suspicious.

“Don’t dragons usually side with the Fire Nation?”

“Normally, benders of the same element are loyal to one another to a degree, but the dragons have a… complicated history with the Fire Nation,” Iroh admitted. “Besides, dragons have a strong sense of justice, and this dragon can see that these people are attacking you, unfairly. That this is unjust.” Iroh was looking at the adults as he said this, knowing his words would carry a different meaning with them. Hakoda gave him a slight nod, and unspoken words passed between the two leaders.

Katara scrunched up her face in thought, then asked, “Have you ever met a dragon?”

Iroh gave her a one-sided smile. “Once.”

Zuko’s jaw dropped. Jumping up, he shouted, “You met a  _ dragon _ ?!” Almost immediately, he was hit by a snowball, and the fight resumed at full speed. Soon enough, nearly the entire village had joined in the fun. The children’s energy was so contagious that, for the first time since Lu Ten’s death, Iroh felt genuinely happy.

Amidst all the chaos, nobody noticed the messenger hawk that landed on the Fire Nation ship’s hull. It was only when the snowball fight was long over and the children were in bed that Ursa and Iroh finally went back to their ship that they realized, and read the letter carried by the hawk.

Cursing, Ursa ran back to Hakoda and Kya’s igloo, with Iroh close behind. “I can’t believe this,” she said as she burst inside. “That Zhao, he’s a-“ Ursa let out a string of curse words that made Kya glad the children were asleep. 

Hakoda asked, “What happened?”

“We received a letter from Commander Zhao,” Iroh said for Ursa, who was still fuming. “He has told the Firelord that Zuko is alive, and that we are negotiating for his freedom. My father expects us to return home with Zuko within a week, or else he will send his armies to the South Pole.”

“Tui and La,” Hakoda murmured.

“Whenever I see Zhao next, I’m going to strangle him myself,” Ursa muttered. “I should have known he’d talk.”

“Can’t you just send a letter back explaining the situation? Surely there’s something that can be done,” Kya said.

Iroh shook his head gravely. “You don’t know my father,” he said darkly. “Firelord Azulon has been trying to exterminate the Southern Water Tribe for as long as I can remember. If the three of us do not return safely, he will send every ship in his fleet here to decimate your people.”

“Even if we were to leave Zuko here with you, Azulon would still attack you. Somehow, he’d twist it and make people believe that you’re holding his precious grandson hostage.” With a bitter laugh, she said sarcastically, “Because we all know he cares about Zuko  _ so  _ much.”

Kya’s shoulders slumped. Since she found Zuko, Kya had feared this day would come. The Fire Nation was so cruel, even to its own children, and Zuko was just so kind, so caring, so  _ good _ . She could easily imagine the Fire Nation chewing Zuko up and spitting him back out again like an angry komodo rhino, eating up all the goodness in his heart.

“The only way we can possibly avoid an invasion is if we return and explain as much as we can,” Iroh said. “We have to bring Zuko home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter 20 aka 'despite not even appearing in this chapter zhao still ruins everything'
> 
> *walks in two days late holding a chapter and starbucks*  
> no fr tho the start of school has been hitting me hard so yeah sorry for the late update
> 
> now all that's left to write is zuko's departure and his reunion with azula! oh yeah, and the ~~surprise~~
> 
> first part of this chapter: :D  
> last part of this chapter: D:
> 
> anyway, zuko is just baby. he, sokka, and katara are all just BABY
> 
> thanks for reading!!


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AYYYY WE MADE IT!!!! If you liked this fic, please let me know in the comments! And come say hi on tumblr if you want! My user is @nvrlostword!  
> I'm going to go on a short hiatus before I start posting book 2, mainly so that I can start off the school year strong and also get ahead on some chapters before I start posting. See you in mid to late september!

“So, you’re really leaving?” Zuko nodded, looking down at his feet. Sokka knew he should be happy for Zuko because he was going home, but instead he felt like something was gnawing at his heart. “Oh,” was all Sokka could manage.

It had been so sudden. After the big snowball kai, Sokka never thought he could feel happier. But happiness, Sokka was starting to realize, wasn’t made to last. Now Zuko was going back to the Fire Nation to live with his family again, with only a couple hours to gather his things and say goodbye. 

“Yeah,” Zuko said, feeling a similar kind of sadness. “But I’m going to write to you all the time, Sokka. I’ll probably spend the whole boat ride writing to you.” There was a long pause.

“Sokka, I-”

“I want you to-”

They had spoken at the same time. “Sorry,” Zuko said. “You go first.”

“Okay,” Sokka said. “I want you to have this.” He handed Zuko a small piece of carved bone. Upon closer inspection, Zuko realized it was a tiny replica of Sokka’s boomerang. “Dad did all the carving, but I picked out the bone.”

“Thank you,” Zuko whispered, holding the carving close to his heart. “I’ll cherish this forever, Sokka.”

“So what were you gonna say?”

“Oh, right. I also wanted to give you something. I want you to keep my swords.” Zuko handed Sokka the swords, which were inside a leather sheath. 

“No way,” Sokka breathed, staring down at the swords. With an excited squeal, he said, “You really mean it?!”

“Of course.” Zuko tried to memorize every detail of this moment- how Sokka’s hands clasped around the swords, the brightness of Sokka’s smile, the little strand of hair sticking down onto Sokka’s forehead. “You’ve gotten really good with them, and I don’t want you to lose that skill. Next time we see each other, let’s spar, alright?”

“Yeah!” Sokka grinned, then paused. “Wait, what about you? Don’t you need swords?”

“I’m the Fire Prince, I can get some new swords easily enough.” Zuko smiled and closed his eyes. He wished this moment could last forever.

“Zuko,” Sokka mumbled, blushing a little bit. “There’s something else I want to give you.” He cupped the sides of Zuko’s cheeks, looking into his beautiful brown eyes. Once, Sokka would have described them as golden, but he knew now that was wrong. Zuko’s eyes had been golden on the day of the solstice when he’d unleashed that crazy firebending power that scared Sokka half to death, but those weren’t his Zuko’s eyes. The Zuko that Sokka had come to know had wonderful honey-colored eyes, eyes that danced whenever Sokka made a stupid joke. Eyes that were gazing at him now in confusion and wonder.

Closing his own eyes, Sokka leaned forwards and softly pressed his lips against Zuko’s. At first, Zuko tensed up, but then, so shyly and hesitantly, Zuko gave Sokka a kiss back. “I like you, Zuko,” Sokka whispered. “I really, really like you. No one understands me the way you do. Do you really have to go?”

“It’s not like I want to leave you behind,” Zuko murmured, wrapping his arms around Sokka. “But I have to go home. Sokka, I really, really like you too, don’t forget that.”

They lingered atop the glacier for a few more minutes, then Zuko headed down to the dock alone. Sokka couldn't bear to see Zuko board the ship and leave, so he stayed on the glacier, watching the scene from above.

“Zuko, do you have everything? Do you guys need more food for the voyage? I can get you some more seal jerky,” Kya offered, wringing her hands. 

Katara walked up to Zuko and hugged him tightly. “Thanks for teaching me waterbending,” she whispered.

Zuko pulled away and put a hand on Katara’s shoulder. For a rare moment, he made eye contact with her as he said, “Keep training and you’ll be a real master someday, Katara. You’re really talented. I want you to keep those waterbending scrolls, okay?”

“Okay. I’m going to miss you, Zuko.” Katara sniffled, then burst into tears and clung to her mother’s coat.

Zuko looked to Hakoda next, who knelt down and ran a thumb across Zuko’s cheekbone. Hakoda knew Zuko had to go or else the entire Southern Water Tribe would be destroyed, but that didn’t make it any easier to say goodbye.

“You’re a good kid, Zuko,” Hakoda said firmly. “Many of my people used to believe the entire Fire Nation was evil, especially your family. But now, because of you, we have hope. Hope that someday, a better future will come and bring peace for all of the nations.”

Zuko started to chew on his knuckles a bit, a nervous habit of his. “You really think I can do that?”

“You can do anything you put your mind to, Zuko. You’re brave, stubborn, and you don’t hesitate to call out injustice when you see it.” With a little smile, Hakoda tilted Zuko’s chin up so that their eyes met. “I’m proud of you, Zuko. You’ll grow into an excellent young man someday.”

Zuko maintained eye contact as he said, “Thank you, Hakoda. I promise I won’t let you down.”

Unheard by Zuko as he walked back to Kya, Hakoda whispered, “There’s no way you ever could.” 

“Thank you for taking care of me, Kya. If you hadn’t found me that first day, I probably would’ve frozen to death.” Zuko smiled up at her, and Kya was amazed by how much he had changed. Gone was the shivering little Fire Nation boy who hadn’t even known how to eat a fish properly, replaced by a strong, capable young man. In the time he spent in the Water Tribe, Kya had watched Zuko grow more confident, more skilled, and more willing to open up to people. Zuko was a budding flower, and now Kya wouldn’t be able to see him bloom.

“No, thank you, Zuko. For being a part of my life.” Kya picked him up in a big hug, holding the little prince close. No matter how much he had grown while he was with her, Kya was still painfully aware of how young Zuko was. She softly stroked Zuko’s hair and whispered, “If you ever need anything- anything at all- just send me a letter with one of your messenger hawks, okay? You’ll always have a home here in the South Pole, Zuko, no matter what.” Kya brushed Zuko’s bangs back and gave him a kiss on the forehead, making the mark of the trusted glow brightly. “I love you, Zuko.”

“I love you too, Kya.” Zuko kissed Kya on the cheek, then boarded the boat. He gave the Water Tribe one last wave, then headed to his quarters on the boat. 

Alone on top of the glacier, Sokka watched as the boat disappeared into the horizon. 

~ ~ ~

The entire day that Zuko returned home was a blur. A huge feast was thrown in celebration, and Zuko felt like the entire Fire Nation was there and wanted to hear his story. Every time he finished talking to one person, it seemed like four more appeared in their place. By the time he went to his room for the night, Zuko was completely exhausted.

But when Zuko opened the door, someone was there waiting for him. “Zuzu!” Azula jumped off of Zuko’s bed and tackled him in a hug.

“Hey, Azula,” Zuko said with a grin. “Did you miss me?”

Azula quickly pulled away from Zuko, then pouted and crossed her arms. “Not really.”

“I think you’re lying to me. You’re really going to lie to me after I just got back?” Azula scowled and punched his arm. “Ow!”

“I’m glad you’re not dead,” Azula admitted, helping Zuko off the floor. “Firebending practice is awfully boring when you’re alone. And there’s been no one to play with except when Mai and Ty Lee come over. It’s been lonely without you.”

“Father hasn’t gotten too mad at you, has he?” Azula shook her head, giving Zuko a surge of relief. 

“Hey, Zuko? Can I sleep in your bed tonight?” The question came out of nowhere, surprising Zuko. He glanced over at his sister, who was uncharacteristically fidgety. “Look, maybe I did miss you, just a little bit. But you’d better not tell anyone, dummy.”

With a fond smile, Zuko said, “Of course. Maybe I missed you a bit too, Azula.”

Azula quickly fell asleep, but Zuko found himself staring out at the night sky, thinking of the people he’d left behind in the Southern Water Tribe. “Good night, Sokka,” he whispered, staring up at the moon.

In the South Pole, Sokka was staring up at the same sky, thinking of Zuko, when a brilliant red aurora flared to life. Sokka gasped. Scrambling down the glacier, Sokka ran into his igloo and shouted, “Guys, look outside!”

The lights were a common sight in the South Pole, but Sokka had never seen them in such a color. Concerned, Katara tugged on Kya’s sleeve and asked, “Mom, why’s it that color? Does it mean that Zuko has joined the spirits?”

“No,” Sokka said, gazing up at the lights. “Zuko’s alright, I can feel it.” Though he’d never believed in spiritual stuff, Sokka always trusted his instincts, and everything in him was telling him Zuko was okay. “I think… I think it’s a message from him. Telling us thank you, and that he’s safe.” It sounded bizarre, and yet, Sokka had never been more certain of anything in his life. With a small smile, he whispered, “Zuko’s going to be okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let's play a game called how many times can author cry while writing one chapter
> 
> SERIOUSLY THO.... the azula-zuko reunion..... the goodbyes.......... the KISS..........,,..,....,,  
> (speaking of the kiss, it's just a sweet little smooch between a couple kids who have crushes on each other. if anyone makes it into anything nasty, i will smite you. and you will die by kya's sword.)
> 
> red auroras are actually a thing, but they're rare! they're very pretty tho
> 
> once again, thanks for reading! see you soon!


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